


Forbidden

by Sharkdiver1980



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:17:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7368784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharkdiver1980/pseuds/Sharkdiver1980
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione has been keeping a closely guarded secret, one that has the potential to change everything. After witnessing the Headmaster’s memory of his first meeting with an eleven year old Tom Riddle, Hermione makes the decision to step in and become his mentor rather than his enemy. HG/TMR</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Just a few things to note: I took a few liberties with this fic on purpose. I didn't stick entirely to cannon, because I wanted this to play out a certain way...in other words, this takes place in Hermione's seventh year; they are not on the run hunting horcruxes but still taking classes at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore is not dead. Also, I took a LOT of liberties with what time turners can actually do. Most fics say that they can only go back in time, not forwards, and I have no idea what the canon actually is on that, so I basically just made it do what *I* wanted it to do. Lastly, I don't typically write fluffy Tom...but, because of the course this story takes (when you read it you will understand) he is not the Necessarily the evil monster that Voldemort is due to...reasons. I did try to keep him as close to in character as I feel he would be based on the situations I put him in. I'm not going to explain it all here, so I'll let you all just read it. There is smut in future chapters (Hence the rating), and I would LOVE to read your reviews!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](Forbidden)  
> 

**Chapter 1**

 

 

“ _That_ is Lord Voldemort?!” Hermione asked incredulously as she pulled the old yearbook from Harry’s grasp. She had never seen what he had looked like in his youth, as she was not privy to Professor Dumbledore’s memories, nor Tom Riddle’s diary as Harry had been. It had never occurred to her to pour through Hogwarts old yearbook archives to see what the Dark Lord had been like as a student.

 

“And he was the _bloody_ Head Boy?!” She shrieked, her voice raising an octave of its own accord.

 

Harry rubbed a hand through his messy hair, cringing at her reaction, “Hermione, I thought you knew that?”

 

“No, I bloody well didn’t _know that_ , Harry James Potter!” she chided, “How would I have known that? All that I was ever told about him was that his name was Tom Riddle before he became Lord Voldemort, and that he killed your parents, along with countless others, and has been terrorizing the wizarding community for the last few decades. So no, Harry, no one told me he was once a Hogwart’s _‘Golden Boy’_.” Hermione spat.

 

“Hermione, why are you so upset about this?” Harry asked, not quite understanding her anger.

 

“Because, Harry, I am the Head Girl this year, and as I’m sure you well know, I have been dreaming about this since the day I ever picked up _Hogwart’s: A History_ as a first year. Did you know that every Head Girl and Head Boy since the inception of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is named in this book? Well, with the glaring exception of course, of one Mr. Tom Marvolo Riddle.”

 

“Why would he not be listed?” Harry asked in confusion.

 

“Why, indeed, Harry. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he has disgraced the school with his dark deeds, and they wanted to obliterate his name so as to not tarnish the honor that such a position holds. To think, I now have the _prestigious_ honor of sharing a title with the Dark _fucking_ Lord.”

 

“Oh…” was all Harry managed to say, understanding now that Hermione felt her accomplishment was cheapened somehow from this revelation.

 

“For what it’s worth, Hermione, You will be the best Head Girl Hogwart’s has ever seen, and Tom Riddle never should have been given that honor.” Harry said gently trying to soothe her anger.

 

Hermione blew out a breath of air she had been holding and snapped the yearbook shut, “Its fine, Harry, it was just a bit of shock is all.” She said.

 

He managed a weak smile as he squeezed her shoulder before he stood and picked up his bag. “Well, I have to run; Ginny will have my head if I’m late for Quidditch practice.”

 

“See you later, Harry” she said as she watched him walk out of the library. She glanced down at the old yearbook in front of her, and against her better judgement, she stuffed it into her bag and made her way to the Head’s quarters.

 

It was bliss having a bedroom and private bathroom to herself this year. She had got on well enough with Parvarti, Padma, and Lavender…well, with the exception of course for a stretch the previous year when Ron and Lavender had parted ways and she summarily blamed Hermione for it…still, having her privacy, and peace and quiet was a Godsend.

 

That was, until she found out that Draco _fucking_ Malfoy was named Head Boy. Of all the slimy gits, it had to be that one. They had to share a common room, but thankfully, Draco mostly kept to himself. She imagined he hadn’t wanted to spend any more time in her presence that was strictly necessary, and for that, she was grateful.

 

She walked through the empty common room, and waved a hand to part the wards allowing her access to her private room. Once the door clicked shut behind her, she collapsed on her bed with a sigh. It shouldn’t bother her as much as it did finding out that Tom Riddle had been made Head Boy back in 1944. It did however, bother her that, to her horror, she had found him to be incredibly handsome. A fact which she vowed to keep utterly to herself. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in his early life that could have lead him down such a dark path. He didn’t even have a nose anymore for Merlin’s sake…how does someone even allow that to happen to themselves?

 

It was in that moment, that Hermione decided she wanted, no _needed_ to find out as much as she possibly could about Tom Marvolo Riddle. Lord Voldemort, she knew…Tom Riddle though, remained a mystery. Suddenly, a quote from a muggle book called _The Art of War_ she had once read came to mind, “Know thy enemy”. Maybe if she dug deep enough, she would uncover a weakness…a chink in his carefully crafted armor.

 

Hermione picked up the tattered old yearbook from her bag and once again flipped to the page that held the Head Boy’s photograph. The smile that held perfectly white gleaming teeth, never reached his eyes. His eyes were a truly beautiful greyish blue, unlike she had ever seen before. His features were perfectly symmetrical and with unmarred pale skin, black wavy hair perfectly combed, and a strong jaw.

 

She continued to read his bio that was printed under his picture, and her jaw dropped once again:

 

**Hogwart’s Head Boy, Class of 1944**

**Tom Marvolo Riddle**

**N.E.W.T. scores: 9**

**Favorite Subject: Defense Against the Dark Arts**

**Hobbies: Researching rare magical artifacts**

**Post-Graduation Goals: To one day become Minister of Magic**

 

 _He received NINE N.E.W.T.s?!_ she thought to herself.

 

He had to have been unbelievably intelligent. As it stood, Hermione had a full course load of 8 NEWT courses, and at times, she thought even that may have been too much to take on. How could he have managed 9 NEWT level courses and his Head Boy duties? Being the Head Girl came with a lot of responsibility that did, regrettably, cut into her study time, however there was no way she would have turned it down. If he managed all that, he must have either an eidetic memory so that he didn’t need to study as she did, or he must’ve never slept.

 

As she continued to think about the young Tom Riddle, an idea began to form in her mind. One that she knew she should dismiss immediately, but she couldn’t help the niggling curiosity and the thought that doing this absolutely crazy thing might possibly be the key to Lord Voldemort’s downfall.

 

She pulled on the silver chain that had hung around her neck since her third year, though she had not used it since. Meddling with time was a dangerous practice, but one that she felt may be necessary to give them the edge they so desperately needed. She would adhere to her principles: She would not be seen. This was a reconnaissance mission only.

 

She grasped the small hourglass between her finger tips, and set the little arm to “decades”. Before she could talk herself out of the insane thing she was about to do, she gave it five and ¼ turns.

 

~~{0}~~

 

 

The room around her seemed to change, although she remained in the same place. She was currently still sitting on a bed in the Head Girl’s room. The décor was very different from her own, and immediately she panicked. She hadn’t even thought about whether someone would be in the room when she appeared seemingly out of thin air…Thankfully, as it was in her own time, it was currently dinner time at Hogwart’s, and most of the students would be in the Great Hall. She took the opportunity to look around the room, and could see it was furnished very simply, with a few text books and parchments sitting on the writing desk. Hermione made her way to the desk and saw that there was a copy of the Daily Prophet tossed there from the morning’s delivery. The date read September 27, 1944. Essentially, from what she gathered, the time turner had taken her back the price amount of decades, but on the same day at which she had used the time turner. For Hermione, before going back in time, it had been the start of dinner time, September 27, 1997. She was exactly 54 years in the past, to the day and time.

 

She pulled her wand, and listened at the door to see if she could hear anyone in the common room. Thankfully, the room was empty. She opened the door quietly, and crept along the wall, her heart pounding in her chest. The common room was also very similar to how it had looked in her time, though the furniture looked a bit less worn. She moved towards the other door that she knew belonged to the Head Boy. This was Tom Riddle’s bedroom. She had no idea if he was in there, or if he was in the Great hall along with the rest of the student body, but she desperately wanted to have a look at his personal space. One some level, it felt a bit wrong to be intruding as she was, but she quickly reminded herself that he was the enemy, and this wasn’t all that different from hunting for his horcruxes as Harry and Professor Dumbledore had begun to do.

 

She decided to be cautious and cast a disillusionment charm on herself, before she pulled out a blackened hunk of rock from her pocket that Fred and George had given her from their shop; it was Peruvian instant darkness powder. She would test his wards, if he were in the room, she would use the powder to make her escape when he opened the door. If he were not inside his room at all, nothing would happen when she attempted to breach his wards.

 

She took a deep breath, and cast _Alohamora_ on his door. After a moment, when nothing happened, she knew the room was empty. She kept her disillusionment charm on, and crept as quietly as she could, closing the door behind her.

 

His room was not at all what she had been expecting. It was furnished with the usual Hogwart’s furniture, but there was barely any décor to the room beyond that. There were not even any books on the bookshelf. It was as if, he owned nothing at all, beyond what Hogwart’s gave to all students as standard issue. There was a trunk, that was extremely old and worn, that was partially obscured by the bed. She bit her lip, and once again shoving down any scruples at this invasion of privacy, she opened the trunk to see what was inside. There were used Hogwarts text books, a book on wandless spell casting, an old coin, and a small silver box. She cast a few spells on the box to see if it was cursed, but it wasn’t all that surprising to see that it was just a plain silver box. After all, Tom had not expected anyone to be in his room going through his things, and therefore would not feel the need to curse it. She picked it up, and what she saw inside made her blood run cold; Tom Riddle’s diary, already a horcrux, and the Gaunt family ring sat inside along with a curious small silver harmonica. How odd. Hermione knew better than to touch the diary or the ring, knowing what they were, however, she had never seen or heard about a harmonica before. Once again, she tapped her wand to it, and nothing happened. It was not cursed, just a plain harmonica. Interesting.

 

Before she could ponder it further, she heard the door to the common room open, and her heart began to hammer in her chest. She glanced around wildly, thinking about what she should do, when her eyes landed on his armoire. She crept inside quietly, practically holding her breath as she was able to peak through the small crack in the doors. She had no doubt that if she was caught, he would kill her. The fact that he already had horcruxes meant that he had already committed murder.

 

She covered her mouth with her hand, sure he would be able to hear the frantic beating of her heart as he opened the door. He entered the room, seemingly unaware of her presence. She had the presence of mind to close the trunk leaving it as she had found it before climbing into his armoire, but what happened next sent a bolt of panic through her. Tom Marvolo Riddle was beginning to take off his clothes. She watched in fascinated horror, as he unclasped the black robe and carefully placed it on the bed. His hands swiftly moving up to loosen his green and silver tie before pulling it from his neck. His eyes fell shut briefly, as he breathed in deeply while unbuttoning the white oxford shirt exposing the pale expanse of his toned chest.

 

Hermione felt a rush of warmth settle in her stomach as she couldn’t help but admire how beautiful he was as he unintentionally revealed himself to her.

 

His hands suddenly stilled on the button of his pants, and Hermione froze. He opened his eyes with suspicion clearly written in them, and his familiar yew wand was suddenly in his hand. She watched as he took a few more deep breaths through his nose.

 

He could _smell_ her.

 

 _Shit_.

 

Of all the days she decided to wear perfume…

 

She scrambled for the time turner as quickly as she could giving it exactly five and ¼ turns forward, praying to merlin that it would work.

 

Thankfully, she felt the familiar spinning of the world around her, and now, she could see that she was out of immediate danger. She was still huddled inside an armoire in the Head Boy’s room, however, she could tell from the opulent décor that this room clearly belonged to Draco Malfoy.

 

She climbed from the armoire after determining that he too must be still at dinner, and she made her way back to the safety of her own room in record time. That had been an extremely close call. If the time turner hadn’t taken her out of there right when it did, she had no doubt that only moments later, she would have been killed.

 

As she laid across her bed once more, she thought about all that she had seen. It didn’t make much sense to her that someone who wanted to assume the level of power that Voldemort had achieved would have so little in the way of personal possessions. She recalled that even in her panicked state while hidden in his armoire, she could smell his scent on his uniforms that had been hanging up inside; it was a very clean earthy scent that under any other circumstances she would have found quite pleasant.

 

She huffed out another breath, relieving some of the tension that had built up in her muscles, and resolutely thought about how she might be able to persuade Professor Dumbledore to view some of his memories of Tom Riddle. She most definitely couldn’t tell anyone what she had done, but, if she could provide some reasoning why it would be of importance for her to see, then maybe he would allow it.

 

As the wheels in her brain turned, it occurred to her that she could use the very book she had thought of earlier, _The Art of War_ , to build her strategy to help her convince Professor Dumbledore that it was of vital importance to their mission of finding Voldemort’s horcruxes if she could view every memory he had of him…maybe something in one of the memories would clue them in. She absolutely would not tell him that part of the reason she so desperately wished to see the memories was selfish in nature, and that she simply had a _need_ to understand him.

 

And she most definitely wouldn’t risk using the time-turner again to spy on him…maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter 2**  

 

 

“Headmaster, I wonder if I might have a word?” Hermione asked as she managed to catch him as he stepped in front of the entrance to the Headmaster’s office.

 

“Miss Granger, of course. Please follow me.” He said gently as he stood on the steps of the staircase and flicked his wand. Being the Headmaster, he did not require the use of a password, as the wards were keyed to him.

 

As they entered his office, he gestured for her to take a seat, and kindly offered her a lemon drop. She took one, more out of politeness than for any desire to have a sweet, and he took his seat across from her behind his large desk and said, “Now, how may I help you, Miss Granger?”

 

She thought it best to be as straight forward as possible.

 

“Sir, Harry has told me about the plan to find and destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes, and I believe that I may be of help.” She said matter of fact.

 

His eyebrows rose at her presumption, although he was not surprised to learn that Harry hadn’t kept the knowledge to himself. For all the years he had known Harry, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasely were his contstant companions and his confidants. He would be foolish to think that they would not end up involved in this particular mission as well.

 

“I see.” Was all he said, allowing her to continue her request.

 

“I have read a book recently, a muggle book actually, written some time ago called The Art of War. It’s actually truly a brilliant book, sir, and I believe its strategies can surely be applied to our situation.”

 

She noted that his expression seemed interested, and it gave her the courage to continue.

 

“What lies at the heart of winning a war, and planning a successful strategy is first and foremost to know your enemy. Harry has had quite a bit of first-hand knowledge of Lord Voldemort due to their um…connection, however, aside from a few bits of information and scattered memories he has been allowed to witness, there is a distinct lack of information on Tom Riddle, you see. I believe, that with more insight into Lord Voldemort’s formative years, we will be able to uncover more information on the indentities and whereabouts of his remaining horcruxes.”

 

Professor Dumbledore was contemplating her words, running his fingers thoughtfully along his long silvery beard, “Miss Granger, as you know, I myself taught Tom Riddle while he was a student here at Hogwart’s. Don’t you think that if there was anything to be learned from these memories, I would have done so by now?” he asked not unkindly.

 

“I respectfully disagree, sir. It is possible that since they are, in fact, your memories, it would be very easy for your mind to miss a detail. One seemingly insignificant detail could mean the difference between winning and losing this war, sir. Perhaps a second set of eyes is just what is needed.” She said while folding her hands delicately in her lap.

 

He seemed to ponder this, and after what seemed like an eternity, he said, “You have a convincing argument, Miss Granger, and I think that it would not be a wasted effort as you say. You may use my penseive over the weekend while I am away. I’ll be sure to place all the memories I have in there so you may begin to view them. I expect this endeavor will take some time, as I had the _pleasure_ …” and he said this was sarcasm, “of teaching Mr. Riddle for seven years. The password is ‘Sherbert Lemon’. I expect you will tell no one aside from Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasely, of course.”

 

Hermione wanted to do a little happy dance, but she refrained, and instead gave him a broad smile. “Thank you, Headmaster. I feel grateful for the opportunity to be of help. Harry already has to deal with so much...” she said honestly.

 

“That he has, Miss Granger. He is truly lucky to have such a friend in you.” He told her.

 

 

~~{0}~~

 

 

The next morning, Hermione rose with the sun, and made her way down to breakfast in the great hall. It was thankfully Saturday, and Draco had grudgingly agreed to take on Hogsmeade duties while she remained behind to ‘work on a project for the Headmaster’. She hadn’t told Harry or Ron what she had done, but she did tell them that Professor Dumbledore had asked her to do some research for their mission, and that she would be unavailable most of the weekend.

 

After breakfast, she made her way to the Headmaster’s office as instructed, giving the password to the revolving staircase. As she entered his office, she saw that he had left a note on the table for her:

 

_Miss Granger,_

_I don’t envy the task ahead of you, I had almost forgotten how many memories I had of young Mr. Riddle. I trust you know that when you view one of my memories, your own memory will make a copy of the memory as you viewed it. Please take this penseive that I have left with this note for your own personal use. Some of these memories are troubling, and you may wish to relieve yourself of them once your own memories have been created. The owls know how to reach me, should you find anything of importance._

_~Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore._

 

 

Hermione folded the note and put it in her pocket. She made her way over to the large penseive in the corner of the office which contained hundreds of vials of memories labeled with the Headmaster’s tidy script. She could see that he had arranged the memories as best he could in some semblance of chronological order, so that she could follow the chain of events. She pulled the first vial that was simply labeled, ‘ _First meeting’_ and poured the silvery thread into the penseive. As she did, she felt her face being guided towards the shimmery surface before being plunged into the memory.

 

She walked quickly to keep up with Professor Dumbledore’s long strides. He was much younger than he was now, with shorter auburn hair. He was wearing what appeared to be a muggle suit, and he carried an umbrella. She took the opportunity to look around, and she could see that she was in a part of muggle London that she recognized, although there were distinct differences as this would have been more than sixty years in the past. She followed him through the gated entrance of a shabby brick building that said, ‘Wool’s Orphanage’. Hermione felt a twinge of sadness in her chest at the thought that Tom had been an orphan. She hadn’t known that. She did not recognize this building in her own time, as she was pretty certain it was gone before she had been born. Dumbledore was met at the door by an older muggle woman, whom he had addressed as Mrs. Cole. She had her gray hair pinned back in a bun, and she wore a worn apron over her simple frock. She listened closely to their conversation:

 

_In all the years Tom’s been here, he’s never once had a visitor. I must tell you, there have been incidents with the other children. Nasty things._

 

Dumbledore didn’t reply, only looked in the open door at the small boy sitting in a chair by the window. His room was small, only containing a shabby twin bed, a small desk with a chair, and an armoire. She noticed there were a few very small details, such as the placement of 7 small rocks upon his windowsill, a photograph of an ocean cliff on his wall, and a small book with some scattered drawings peeking out from behind the cover. She watched the conversation between Tom and professor Dumbledore in silence.

 

_You’re the Doctor, aren’t you._

_No, I’m a professor._

_I don’t believe you. She wants me looked at. They think I’m different._

_Well perhaps they’re right._

_I’m not mad!_

_Hogwart’s is not a place for mad people. Hogwart’s is a school; a school of magic. You can do things, can’t you Tom? Things that other children can’t._

_I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want without training them, I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt, If I want. Who are you?_

_I’m like you, Tom. I’m different._

_Prove it._

 

Hermione watched as the armoire she had been standing next to burst into flames.

 

_I think there is something in your wardrobe trying to get out, Tom._

 

Hermione watched as the young Tom Riddle walked over to the shaking armoire and opened the doors. The same silver box she had seen in his trunk was shaking as if something was trying desperately to break free of it. He picked up the box and brought it over to his small cot, dumping out its contents.

 

It was the silver harmonica.

 

_Thievery is not permitted at Hogwart’s, Tom. At Hogwart’s not only will you be taught how to use magic, but also how to control it, you understand me?_

 

At this, Dumbledore stood and began to leave Tom in his room. Before the professor had walked across the threshold, Tom spoke:

 

_I can speak to snakes too. They find me. Whisper things. Is that normal for someone like me?_

She looked desperately between professor Dumbledore and the eleven year old Tom as Dumbledore said nothing before stepping through the door and leaving him behind. She pulled herself from the memory, and felt angry, and for once, it was not directed at Tom Riddle. He was a child. What he needed was guidance. Instead, he had been dumped in an orphanage as a baby without a single visitor in eleven years. If he seemed cold and distant, well, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see why. Hermione may still be young herself, but even she knew that children needed love and guidance. Both of which, Tom was never given. She saw the opportunity that Professor Dumbledore had in that moment, to be a mentor, and to teach Tom what kindness was. It was at Tom’s admission that he could speak to snakes that Dumbledore seemed to close off and apparently decide it was for the best to keep Tom at an arm’s length, once again, denying him. Hermione’s heart broke into a thousand pieces as she thought about how unforgiving the world had been to Tom at even such a young age.

 

She made a note in her journal about the 7 stones on his windowsill, and to take a second look at the photo on his wall and the drawings that were in the book, now that she had witnessed the memory in full. She would be able to maneuver through the room, ignoring the conversation, while paying attention to those small details.

 

She decided to skip ahead for now, to another memory she most wanted to see. There was a vial labeled “Chamber of secrets” and she knew that this memory must be after Moaning Myrtle’s death.

 

Hermione grasped the vial, and as before, she poured the silvery thread into the penseive and felt herself being pulled in

 

She found herself in Hogwarts, standing next to Professor Dumbledore, as the gurney bearing the covered body of Myrtle was being carried down the stairs from the second floor bathroom. She noticed one student, Tom Riddle, standing towards the foot of the staircase, watching in silence. She heard Dumbledore address Tom:

 

 _Riddle! Come…_ Dumbledore gestured to Tom to approach him.

 

Tom swallowed thickly and acknowledged him, _Professor Dumbledore_ as he walked up the stairs to stand in front of him.

 

_It is not wise to be wandering around at this late hour, Tom._

_Yes Professor, I suppose I…had to see for myself if the rumors were true._

_I am afraid they are, Tom. They are true._

 

_About the school as well? I don’t have a home to go to…they wouldn’t really close Hogwarts, would they professor?_

 

Hermione could see a profound sense of panic creep into Tom’s eyes at the thought of having to return to the orphanage.

 

_I understand, Tom, but I am afraid Headmaster Dippet may have no choice._

_Sir, if it all stopped…if the person responsible was caught…_

Hermione’s breath hitched as she watched his expression. His voice shook for just a fraction of a second, and his tone seemed to be almost…pleading. Dumbledore’s expression however became instantly suspicious and closed off.

 

_Is there something…you wish to tell me, Tom?_

 

Tom’s expression in that moment became guarded. He schooled his features to appear devoid of any emotion, however, Hermione could see two things clearly in his eyes; fear and guilt.

 

_No sir. Nothing._

 

_Very well then. Off you go._

 

Dumbledore looked tired, and he seemed to have expected Tom’s answer, although the suspicion remained. Always suspicion.

 

_Goodnight, sir._

 

As she watched Tom’s form retreat down the hall it suddenly became clear to her that the whole thing had been a tragic _accident_. It was the only answer that made sense to her now why he had framed Hagrid for the incident. If it had been intentional, he would’ve wanted everyone to know that he, _Tom Riddle_ , was the heir of Slytherin. By framing Hagrid, he was trying to cover it up. He didn’t want anyone to know, or to blame him. He couldn’t risk be expelled and being sent back to the orphanage.

 

What was it about the orphanage that had him terrified to return? Of course Hermione assumed that having to grow up in an orphanage would be difficult, but that didn’t explain the look of fear in his eyes, or the pleading tone in his voice.

 

Hermione ran her fingers along the vials and took in the labels, but as she suspected, Dumbledore had no other memories pertaining to Wool’s orphanage.

 

After what felt like hours had passed, Hermione sat in the extra chair in the Headmaster’s office to make some notes. She had watched several more memories now; memories of Tom being sorted into Slytherin, of Tom performing fairly difficult transfigurations with ease in Dumbledore’s transfiguration class, and of Tom being questioned once again by Professor Dumbeldore about one of Tom’s housemates being cursed with a dark spell.

 

On the surface, she could feel Dumbledore’s constant mistrust of this boy who he found to be so suspicious. He had always felt so sure that he had been guilty. The memories told her more though; They told her that Tom had been bullied in Slytherin house after his initial sorting. She could see it in the cold glares of his housemates when the sorting hat had declared his house, Tom, a mere boy of eleven slipping into a seat by himself while all of the other Slytherins made no move to include him in conversation.

 

How could the Headmaster not have noticed these things? Tom had come to Hogwarts with the same tatty clothing he had worn at the orphanage. The other students had seen him. They knew he had very little to call his own, yet he had been placed in the house usually reserved for the wealthy purebloods. Their expressions all clearly showed the revulsion they had for Tom as he was placed into their noble house. This same prejudice was likely the cause that drove Tom to later curse one of his housemates, and probably mess around with the Chamber of Secrets in a vain attempt to prove himself. It made perfect sense to Hermione, especially when she recalled Tom’s words from the memory of his first meeting with Dumbledore ‘ _I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me.’_

The more Hermione witnessed of the Headmaster’s memories, the more she was convinced that Tom Riddle was driven to become Lord Voldemort by everyone and everything around him. Once again, an utterly insane idea formed in Hermione’s mind. She was going to use the time-turner once again, but this time, she was going much further back; back to just after Professor Dumbledore visited Tom in the orphanage that very first time. She was going be the mentor to Tom Riddle that Professor Dumbledore had refused to be.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 

 

It was past lunchtime on Saturday, and Hermione had decided that this would be her best opportunity to attempt to visit Tom in the orphanage. Luckily, it was a Hogsmeade weekend, which meant that she could use the time turner to send herself back in time, and then apparate directly from Hogsmeade to Tom’s room in Wool’s Orphanage, now that she knew the location and could visualize his room after viewing Dumbledore’s memory. Time travel to that specific day would be much more complex, as she would have to travel back multiple times using multiple settings, so she would need to remember the exact order in which to return herself back to her own time when she was finished. What she was about to attempt to do, was very risky indeed, but she felt that it was something that was necessary if there was ever to be any hope of reshaping Tom Riddle.

 

Hermione left the Headmaster’s office and headed directly out of the castle. Normally she would never travel alone, but no one could know what she was planning to do. She pulled her jacket closer to her body to protect herself from the biting wind, and moved as quickly to the small village as she could, being particularly careful to not run into any other students. Once she reached the outskirts of the village, she cast a disillusionment charm on herself and ducked into an old storage shed. She transfigured her clothes to seem more appropriate for those worn in the late 1930’s, and then quickly pulled the time-turner from beneath her jacket. First, she would need to travel back to the day that Dumbledore had first visited Tom Riddle, which, according to the Headmaster’s writing had been the Fourth of August. Hermione moved the setting to ‘weeks’ and gave it exactly 8 turns, bringing her back to the Fourth of August 1997. She then changed the setting once more to ‘Decades’ and gave the time turner almost 6 full turns. She once again felt the world swirling around her before everything stilled once more. She was still in Hogsmeade, however the shed she had been in was gone, presumably not having been built yet. She was in a small courtyard behind one of the buildings, which thankfully no one had been occupying. She cast a ‘notice me not’ charm on herself so that she could confirm the date in the Three Broomsticks before she apparated to Wool’s Orphanage.

 

Hermione entered the Three Broomsticks, and to her surprise, it hadn’t changed much at all. She saw a copy of the Daily Prophet that had been left behind on one of the unoccupied tables along the wall, and casually picked it up. The date was exactly as she had calculated, August 4, 1937. It was exactly 3pm in the afternoon, which meant that Professor Dumbledore would be leaving Tom behind in exactly ten minutes. Hermione left the pub once again and slipped behind one of the buildings so that she could apparate directly into Tom’s room. Once she knew that it was safe to do so, Hermione focused all her concentration on Wool’s orphanage in London, and specifically Tom’s bedroom there. She felt the familiar tugging and squeezing sensation of apparition taking hold, and then just as quickly as it began, the feeling subsided and she felt her feet come in contact with the floor. Before she opened her eyes, she heard a small gasp coming from the far end of the room.

 

She opened her eyes, and there before her, stood eleven year old Tom Riddle. His room looking exactly as it had in Dumbledore’s memory, right down to his small silver box and Harmonica lying haphazardly on his cot, and the seven small rocks lining the windowsill.

 

_Tom Riddle?_ Hermione said gently, not wanting to scare the child.

_Who are you? Are you one of them too?_

 

_Tom, my name is Hermione, and I can do magic too, yes. I didn’t mean to startle you. Professor Dumbledore has just left, hasn’t he?_

 

_Yes. Are you from Hogwarts too?_

_Yes, I am a student at Hogwarts. I’ll be graduating soon._

_Why have you come?_

 

There was no malice in his tone, Hermine noticed, just the normal curiosity of a child.

 

_Tom, I know of your history, and I wanted to work with you, if you’ll permit me, to help you make the transition to Hogwarts. You see, I also grew up away from magic, and like you, I knew I was special; that I could do things that the other kids couldn’t do. And like you, when I was eleven, as you are now, one of the professors came to visit me and tell me about magic and about Hogwarts just as Professor Dumbledore has done for you today._

He stared at her, not yet comprehending why she was there.

 

_You see, Tom, growing up away from it all only to be thrust into this new world is…well, it’s jarring. When you arrive at Hogwarts, you will find that there are other children, many other children, who have grown up in that world and have known about magic their whole lives. Sometimes, it can feel isolating and you wonder why no one ever bothered to tell you._

_Why haven’t they?_

 

Hermione took a moment to gather her thoughts before she answered, knowing that what she was about to explain to him had the potential to hopefully begin to change his perception about a lot of things.

 

_Well, that is a very good question, Tom, one I have asked myself many times. Unfortunately, just like anywhere else in the world, prejudice exists. Many old wizarding families who can trace their magical ancestry back to medieval times feel that learning magic is their birth rite. They also are taught to believe that those witches and wizards, like us, who were born from muggle society, or non-magic folk,are not worthy of studying magic. However, that way of thinking is not based in fact, since some of the most powerful witches and wizards ever known have come from non-magic parents, or only one magical parent. Likewise, some children are born into pureblood wizarding families who have no magical ability at all. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you, Tom?_

 

He looked at her pensively, sitting on his cot fiddling with the harmonica.

 

_You mean that people will tell me I am not good enough because of how I grew up?_

_Yes Tom. The Wizarding world, however magical it is, still has a lot to learn. I want you to promise me that you will remember something;._

_What?_

_That no matter what anyone tries to tell you, you are special, Tom. Who your parents are, or how you grew up, none of that matters one bit. The only thing that matters, is that you are smart, you are strong, and you will do great things._

 

He nodded and the corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile.

 

_I asked him if it was normal for someone like me to be able to talk to snakes. He didn’t answer me. He seemed upset._

_Tom, talking to snakes is definitely not a common talent, but it is certainly not all bad. One of my best friends at Hogwarts can talk to snakes too, and he is a very talented wizard. Just because some people are afraid of snakes, does not mean that snakes are evil. Many people are also afraid of spiders, and yet another very good friend of mine has a pet Acromantula, and he is as far from evil as you could get…the friend that is, the acromantula is actually quite terrifying._

 

Tom smiled more genuinely now.

 

_What’s it like? Hogwarts?_

_It is a castle that is more magnificent that you could ever imagine. I don’t want to tell you too much about it, because I want you to experience that for yourself._

_Will you be there?_

_Unfortunately, no, not in the sense that you will be, but, I will be able to meet with you anytime you need me. I have created a special coin that you can use to contact me. It will only work one way, I’m afraid, but, should you need me, you simply tap it with your wand and think of me. My coin will grow warm, and I will come to you. There is only one place in the castle that I will be able to visit you though, it is called ‘The Room of Requirement’. Can you remember that?_

_I think so. How do I find it?_

_Just go to the seventh floor of the castle. When you see a large empty wall, just walk by it while thinking of a place to sit and talk with me. A door will appear in the wall that you can enter. Once inside, tap your coin like I showed you, and I will come._

_Are you a ghost?_

 

Hermione laughed. In a manner of speaking, it would seem so, but she would not tell him she was a time traveler.

 

_No, I’m not a ghost. I am just working on a special project so I am usually traveling, you see._

 

He shook his head and looked down at the coin she had given him. She watched as he placed it inside the small silver box.

 

_May I ask where you got the harmonica?_

_The professor thinks I stole it from one of the other kids. I didn’t._

_I didn’t mean to imply that you did, Tom, I am merely curious._

_My Mother had it_ _when she died, _Mrs. Cole said it belonged to my father_. _

_Can you play it?_

 

Tom looked at her thoughtfully and picked up the harmonica and played a few notes, enough to tell her that he had taught himself to play it.

 

_Very impressive. I have always wished I had musical talent, but, I was blessed with magic ability instead. Not that I would trade that, mind you, but I would have loved to learn piano._

_Maybe someday you will._

_Yes maybe. Well, I must go. You will remember what I said about not letting others get to you and having confidence in yourself?_

_Yes._

_Good. Do try to be patient with them…many of the kids you will meet have never experienced the world as we have, and they are all the more at a loss because of it. If you feel the need to lash out at them, promise me that you will come talk to me instead?_

_Yes, I’ll try._

_Well, I can’t ask for any more than that._

 

Hermione reached her hand out to him to shake his hand and wish him well. With a last genuine smile, she apparated from his room back to Hogsmeade. She once again cast a ‘notice me not’ charm on herself, and made her way back into the small courtyard that she knew in her time would be the site of the shed, and pulled out the time turner. She gave it almost 6 full turns forward, finding herself once again inside the shed she had been in before, and then changed the setting back to weeks and gave it 8 full turns forward. Once again, she found herself back in her own time. She cast a _Finite Incantatem_ on her clothes to transform them back into her normal muggle jeans, jumper, and jacket before heading into the Three Broomsticks. She knew Harry and Ron would most likely still be there.

 

“Oi! Hermione!” Ron called over to her, “You finally managed to take a break?” he called her over where they were seated finishing their late lunch

 

“Yes, I did. And I’m starving” she said as she grabbed a chip off of Ron’s plate and popped it into her mouth.

 

“What’ll you have, dear?” Madame Rosmerta asked Hermione once she noticed a new person had joined the table

 

“I’ll have a butterbeer please, and a club sandwich, thank you.” Hermione said while taking another chip off of Ron’s plate

 

“Bloody hell, Hermione!” Ron shouted as he attempted to pull his plate away from her quick fingers, “Quick as a pixie, this one” he said to Harry while nodding towards Hermione.

 

Harry smiled at their antics as Rosmerta set the butter beer and sandwich down in front of Hermione.

 

“Thank Merlin for that” sighed Ron as he let his hand fall back to the table that had been shielding his plate.

 

Hermione chuckled and ate her sandwich in record speed.

 

“Blimey, Harry, do you reckon she even tasted it?” Ron teased her.

 

Hermione glared at Ron, and finished her butterbeer. She pulled out some coins and left them on the table to pay for her food, and then said, “Well, I’m headed back, I still have a lot of work to do.”

 

“Hermione, exactly, what are you doing?” Harry asked in that way he did when he seemed to know that there was something that she wasn’t telling him.

 

“Nothing dangerous, Harry, just…looking over some things that the Headmaster asked me to review.” She told him as she averted her eyes

 

“About Voldemort?” Harry asked pointedly.

 

“Harry! Keep your voice down” she admonished him. “And for your information, not in a manner of speaking.” She said cryptically.

 

“What does ‘ _not in a manner of speaking’_ mean?” he asked her in confusion.

 

“I am viewing and making notes on Headmaster Dumbledore’s memories of Tom Riddle.” She said with a sniff, waiting for the inevitable explosion that was sure to come from Harry.

 

“You what?! Hermione, this still isn’t about the yearbook, is it?” Harry asked, looking from her to Ron, the latter who looked thoroughly confused.

 

“What yearbook?” Ron asked having the distinct feeling that he had missed something.

 

“Really, Harry? You honestly believe me to be so…petty, that I would ask to do this purely for my own selfish reasons? Has it ever occurred to you that those memories might contain clues that the Headmaster missed to finding you-know-who’s horcruxes?” she whispered venomously.

 

Harry looked properly chastened, while Ron looked pointedly between Hermione and Harry and said, “Well, is someone going to tell me what a bloody yearbook has to do with it?” Ron shouted.

 

“Keep your voice down, Ron!” Hermione snapped.

 

“Hermione didn’t know that Riddle was Head Boy when he was a student here.” Harry explained quietly.

 

Ron looked at Hermione and back at Harry, “Mate, you can’t seriously think that Hermione would care about what that git did as a student, can you?”

 

“Why don’t you ask her?” Harry said with a knowing smirk at Hermione.

 

Hermione threw up her hands in frustration, “You’re being childish, Harry, I’m heading back to the castle where I don’t have to listen to this utter nonsense.”

 

With that, Hermione stood giving one last glare at the both of them before storming out of the Three Broomsticks.

 

“Well, that went well.” Ron said looking at Harry and shrugging his shoulders.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 

 

Hermione had finished viewing the Headmaster’s memories, though nothing stood out to her that brought them any closer to discovering the rest of Voldemort’s horcruxes. The same feeling of mistrust permeated all of the Headmaster’s memories of Tom, which made Hermione feel much more confident in her decision to go back in time to give Tom the charmed coin so that he could contact her if he needed to. She fully believed that through their own ignorance, the wizarding world had created their own monsters. Everyone else may have failed Tom Riddle, but she was going to try her damnedest to not be one of them.

 

A month passed by relatively uneventfully. Classes were in full swing, and Hermione had fallen into her usual routine of spending most of her evenings in the library. She once again pulled the tattered yearbook from its place on the shelf, and flipped it open to the Page with Tom’s Head Boy photo. He had grown up to be very attractive, and apparently, extremely smart. She felt herself wishing that he would use the coin she had given him so that she could see him again. If he never took the opportunity to contact her, she too, wouldn’t be able to help him. Coincidentally, it was in that moment that she felt her pocket growing warm. He had activated the charm on the coin. She jumped from her seat, and put the yearbook back on the shelf before grabbing her overstuffed bag and sprinting from the library to the grand staircase. She was out of breath by the time she reached the seventh floor, and she paced back and forth in front of the room thinking of a comfortable place to talk with Tom. When she opened the door, she was in a cozy room that had a fire burning in the hearth, and a few comfy looking sofas. She walked in and warded the door, and pulled out her time turner making sure it was set to ‘decades’ and gave it just shy of six full turns. The room spun quickly around her before it stopped abruptly. The room looked exactly as it had moments earlier, although now, Tom was seated on one of the sofas facing the fire.

 

_I wasn’t sure you’d come._

Hermione moved over to sit next to him on the sofa, and she could see that his cheeks were tear-stained.

 

_What happened, Tom?_

_You told me it would happen. At first, I thought I could ignore it…the name calling, I mean. I ignored them. But then, it got worse. They started shoving me and hexing me when I wasn’t looking. I got so angry, and I couldn’t help it!_

_What did you do, Tom?_ She asked him gently

_Malfoy, he was saying awful things, and then he used a spell to push me down the stairs. I was hurt, and so angry, and my magic, it just seemed to react, and before I knew what was happing, he was thrown against the wall very hard and was knocked out. He’s in the hospital wing. Professor Dumbledore believed their lies and he thinks I did it on purpose. They lied, Hermione. They said I did it for no reason. I’m not even sure how I did it. I got detention, but they didn’t get in trouble at all. Professor Dumbledore doesn’t believe me. He never believes me._

Hermione turned to face him more fully and took his small hand in hers

 

_Tom, I believe you. And I’m sorry for how they are treating you. I know what it’s like. You must learn to control your magic. I know you didn’t mean for it to happen, but your magic is very strong. If you don’t control it, especially when you are angry, more bad things will happen, even if you don’t mean them to._

_How can I control it?_

_Well, it will take a lot of practice. One thing that always worked for me is to focus on using a spell in those situations that will not allow any harm to come to you, or someone else. Like say, a Petrificus Totalis. When something like that happens again, immediately focus on sending that spell towards the aggressor. They will become petrified temporarily, so that will stop them from being able to harm you, and it will allow you time to get your emotions under control and get a professor. If Professor Dumbledore doesn’t want to listen to you, go to another professor who will. I happen to know that Professor Slughorn will be more willing and able to help you, being head of Slytherin House._

_How did you know?_

_How did I know what, Tom?_

_That I was sorted into Slytherin?_

Hermione gave him a little knowing smile

 

_I suppose your ability to talk to snakes made it seem like a rather good guess. Slytherin being the ‘house of Snakes’ and all…_

 

Tom smiled then and squeezed her hand gently.

 

_Thank you._

_For what?_

_You’re the only one I can talk to. No one wants to be friends with a Slytherin orphan._

 

His tone was flat, and seemed almost emotionless, though Hermione could detect a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

 

_Well, that’s not entirely true, now is it? I’m your friend._

_Are you a Slytherin too?_

_No. I’m a Gryffindor._

His eyes widened at her revelation. In the short time he was at Hogwarts, he hadn’t met a single Gryffindor that would give a Slytherin a second look.

 

_Why are you my friend?_

_Well, like I told you before, we have something in common. We both know what it’s like to grow up without magic. I expect as you continue your education, Tom, I can look forward to having some very interesting debates with you on magical theory. Try not to get so caught up in the stupid house rivalries. Students from every house have valuable qualities._

Tom shook his head in understanding.

 

_And Tom? Remember what I said about controlling your magic. Use Petrificus totalis, count to ten to calm down, and then go find a teacher. Do you understand? If they ever do something while your back is turned, even if they manage to hurt you, use that spell. Don’t ever try to lower yourself to their level. If you want to do great things, Tom, you must rise above all of that, and be an example to others. Someday, they will learn their lesson, and they will understand, but it will not happen by hurting them physically._

He seemed to take in what she had said, but then asked _, What if they disarm me?_

_Well, I’ll just have to teach you how to do a wandless expelliarmus, then won’t I?_ she smirked.

 

Tom smiled at her, and then yawned

 

_You should get back to the Slytherin common room, it’s nearly curfew. You don’t want any more detentions now, do you?_

 

_No, I suppose not._

_You’ll be alright Tom, I have faith in you._

 

With that, she stood and ushered him towards the door. Once he left the room, she pulled the time-turner back out from her robes and gave it almost 6 full turns forward. Once again, the room spun around her, and then stopped abruptly. She tucked the time-turner beneath her robes once again, and made her way to the Gryffindor common room.

 

~~{0}~~

 

“Oi! Hermione! Where were you?” Ron asked looking up from his game of Wizarding chess he was playing with Harry

 

“I was in the library, Ronald, where else would I be?” Ron just shook his head and rolled his eyes at Harry.

 

“Harry, has the Headmaster told you anything new?” she asked. Things had been so eerily quiet for the last month, that she felt like she was on pins and needles waiting for something to happen.

 

“No, nothing.” Harry said. She could see a muscle twitching in his jaw as he clenched it tight in the same frustration that he was surely feeling.

 

She nodded and then decided to head back to her own quarters to get some sleep.

 

Once she reached the Head’s quarters, she entered the common room to see Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson making out on the couch.

 

“Ugh, can’t you do that in your own room, Malfoy?” she said in annoyance

 

“What’s the matter, mudblood, Jealous?” Pansy spat.

 

Hermione rolled her eyes so hard, she thought they would be permanently stuck staring at the back of her skull.

 

“Not even a little bit, Parkinson.” She retorted as Draco sneered at her.

 

“Oh, that’s right, you have your heart set on piss-poor Weaselbee.” Draco hissed.

 

“Poor or not, I’d choose Ron any day of the week over a stuck up, prejudiced, arsehole such as yourself. All the money in the world couldn’t make you desirable, Malfoy.” She said before walking into her room and slamming the door before things could escalate. Before she was able to put up the silencing charm, she heard Pansy whine at Draco for daring to let a lowly mudblood speak to him that way.

 

She flopped back on her bed and let out a breath of pent up frustration. She decided a hot soak in the bath would help her relax so that she could fall asleep.

 

She made her way into her private bathroom, and once again offered up a silent prayer of thanks to whomever installed these marvelous private baths in the Head’s rooms. The bath wasn’t quite as large as the prefects bath, but it had the same lavish taps and bubbles. Hermione started the taps to get the water running at the perfect temperature with just the right amount of bubbles. And then began peeling off her clothes. It felt like she was peeling away all the stress she felt with each layer she tossed to the floor. Once she had removed it all, she sunk into the hot bath, and sighed contentedly. As they often did of late, her thoughts drifted back to Tom. She hoped that he would take her advice to heart. Suddenly, it occurred to her that if he did, she could be drastically altering the timeline. If Tom never adopted the same prejudices that were so often aimed at him during his early school years, and if he refrained from using dark magic to get revenge on others, he would never become Lord Voldemort…which would mean the prophecy would never be made…and Harry’s parents would never be killed. Everything was now in her hands. Everything they were trying to do in her own time, was simply damage control, but everything she was attempting to do with Tom now was the real solution. The only thing she could do, was keep her fingers crossed that he would in fact take her advice, and that he would continue to contact her so that she could guide him in the right direction.

 

For the first time, in as long as she could remember, Hermione slept peacefully.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**  

 

As time crept on, the Order was only met with silence from the Death Eaters, which seemed to have even Draco on edge, not that he would have admitted to it.

 

As she had hoped, Tom had indeed continued to contact her regularly. Sometimes just to talk, sometimes because he had a question about something he learned in class, and sometimes so she could work with him on developing his skills with wandless magic. Christmas was fast approaching, and when Hermione did her usual holiday shopping, she decided that this year, she would be buying an extra present. On her annual shopping trip to Diagon alley with Ginny, she found the perfect gift for Tom in Flourish and Blotts. It was Miranda Goshawk’s guide to Wandless spell casting. Hardly a dark book, but one that she thought Tom would enjoy since this would help with his private lessons with her. She had read it several times before herself, and it was mostly with this book alone that she was able to master her ability to do wandless magic. Only a few spells here and there were taught in the Hogwart’s curriculum that were done wandlessly.

 

“Who’s that for?” Ginny asked over her shoulder.

 

Hermione jumped for a moment, not realizing Ginny was standing behind her, “Oh, just thought I would pick it up for some light reading.” Hermione lied.

 

“Don’t you already have a copy of that book?” Ginny asked again, too perceptive for her own good.

 

“Yes, I do, though I am ashamed to admit, that I left it out recently, and well, Crookshanks had a field day with it. This is a replacement.” She once again lied quickly.

 

“Huh. That’s not like you to leave your precious books lying around, though, I suppose I can hardly blame you…this waiting for something to happen is driving me insane. I wish they would get it over with already.” Ginny sighed

 

She didn’t need for Ginny to say who ‘they’ were, she knew full well that she meant the Death Eaters.

 

“I know, Gin, it’s taking a toll on all of us. Honestly, if their strategy is to throw us off balance, I’d say it’s working. We just have to remember what Moody says…Constant Vigilance.”

 

Ginny shook her head, and headed towards the register with her own purchases. Hermione followed behind her, and they left the store together loaded down with bags. She had bought a bunch of chocolate frogs for Ron along with a new book about the Chudley Cannons, for Harry she bought a new quill and some Bertie Botts beans, For Ginny, she had bought a bottle of Sleek-Eazy’s hair potion and a book on makeup charms. She had also picked up a bag of lemon drops for the Headmaster, since she wanted to thank him in some way for instilling his trust in her.

 

The Headmaster made an exception for the Trio and any of the Weasley’s, since they were all Order members, to remain at Hogwart’s over the break if they chose. Most of them opted to stay at the Burrow, but Hermione told the Headmaster she would like to spend some of her holiday break at the school, and some at the Burrow. The headmaster had given them all portkeys that would take them back and forth as they wished. As much as Hermione loved Harry and the Weasley’s, she very much valued peace and quiet, and of course, the Hogwart’s library.

 

Christmas Eve brought the first snowfall of the year, and Hermione watched wistfully as the large flakes drifted lazily past her window. She had her feet tucked under her lap, and she’d just finished wrapping all of the gifts and asking the house elves to deliver them to the recipients for Christmas morning. She had one final gift to deliver, so she picked up the package and made her way to the room of requirement. On her way up to the seventh floor, she overheard Professor Snape talking quietly with Professor McGonagall in hushed whispers. She pressed herself flat against the wall and wandlessly cast a disillusionment charm on herself so that she wouldn’t be seen

 

“Still no word, Severus? You must have some idea of what he is planning…”

 

“I assure you, Minerva, we are all just as much in the dark as you are. The Dark Lord has sequestered himself away taking only Nagini with him. He commanded that no one is to disturb him lest they wish for death. That was almost four months ago. No one has heard from him since.”

 

“What could he be after?”

 

“There have been rumors, but none of it makes any sense. I am hard-pressed to believe anything that I can’t substantiate.”

 

“What rumors, Severus?”

 

There was a long pause before she heard Severus once again begin to speak.

 

“That he is…looking for the girl.”

 

“The girl?”

 

“We don’t know who she is, but there has been talk that a girl had been a mentor of sorts to the Dark Lord while he was a student. He was never able to trace her identity or whereabouts, but he has come to believe that she was a time-traveler.”

  
“Severus, do you have any thoughts on who she might be?”

  
“It’s hard to say, Minerva, but from the little bit of information I was able to piece together, she is, surprisingly, a muggleborn.”

 

“What do you suppose he is planning to do with her?”

 

“I don’t as of yet know; I’d assume kill her, but aside from her blood status, she did seem to have some sort of a bond with him. I couldn’t begin to understand his motivations.”

 

Hermione’s breath caught in her throat. He was looking for her. He had figured it out. It would only be a matter of time before he made the connection that she was Harry Potter’s best friend, who was right under his nose all along.

 

A few moments later, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape continued down the staircase and away from her destination. As soon as she could no longer see them, she ended the disillusionment charm and ran as fast as she could to the room of requirement and paced in front of the wall, imagining the cozy room where she would usually meet Tom. As soon as the door appeared, she stepped inside and pulled the time-turner from beneath her robes and gave it almost 6 full turns. Once the spinning sensation left her, she quickly called up a house elf.

 

“Winky!” she called out, and a moment later, the familiar house elf, who still lived at Hogwart’s in her own time, popped into the room and gave her a small curtsy

 

“What can Winky be doing for you, Miss?” the small elf asked, looking her over with large brown eyes.

 

“Winky, I need you to please take this gift and have it delivered to Tom Riddle on Christmas morning.”

 

“Of course, Miss” Winky took the gift from her hands and disapparated with a crack.

 

She sat on the couch after the elf departed and put her head in her hands. After hearing what Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had been discussing, it was clear that Tom would, in the future, find out that she was a time traveler. Since everything in her current time line had still happened as she knew it would, it stood to reason that everything she had done, at least up to this point in her interactions with Tom had not been enough to sway him from his dark path. It was possible that nothing she did could do would change his destiny, and that all she was doing was painting a target on her own back. She couldn’t believe that though…there still had to be something that she had yet to do, that would change things. All of her research on time travel had led her to believe that a person’s destiny was most definitely not carved in stone, and that different events caused reactions that could cause the time line to shift. Based on what she knew of Tom’s past, the events that would most likely set him irrevocably on this dark path would begin during his sixth year at Hogwart’s. It was during his sixth year that he would discover his true heritage, and open the Chamber of Secrets. Myrtle would be killed by the Basilisk, and he would use her death to create his first horcrux: the diary. It would be over that summer that he would take his father’s life, and make his second horcrux out of the Gaunt family ring. If she could find some way to change his course of those actions, maybe there would still be chance. Only now, it seemed the clock was ticking, since Voldemort was actively looking for her. If he managed to capture her before she could persuade Tom from taking different actions, all would be for naught.

 

Maybe it was time to tell the Headmaster what she had been up to. Her only hope to buy herself the time she needed would be to have the full protection of the Order of the Phoenix until she is able to see this though.

 

_What if Dumbledore forbid her to continue? He most likely would…_

 

That was a risk Hermione couldn’t take. For now, she decided that until more concrete evidence was heard, that she would keep the information to herself and keep her head down. She would have to be more careful in her meetings with Tom to not give away any information about herself that may lead to him discovering her identity sooner. Hermione stood, and pulled out the time-turner once again, returning to her own time.

 

 

~~{0}~~

 

 

Christmas morning arrived with a layer of fluffy snow covering the grounds of Hogwart’s. Hermione sat up and stretched in her bed, feeling a pile of gifts at the foot. She grabbed a package that appeared to be terribly wrapped, almost as if a toddler had done it; that one had to be from Ron. She chuckled as she turned it over and saw that it indeed was from Ron, and tore it open. It was of course, a book, just as he had gotten her for the last 6 years. Ron was nothing if not predictable. It was the same book she had picked up for Ginny on Makeup charms; maybe he was trying to give her a hint? She rolled her eyes and set the book aside, picking up the next gift. It was wrapped much more neatly, and she could see a tag on the front of the burgundy colored wrapping paper with Harry’s messy script. She opened the paper, and found a pristine new journal and quill, along with a box of Honeydukes finest chocolate. Harry was one of the few people who knew about Hermione’s secret love of chocolate, and so every year he made it a point to get her some, and she loved him dearly for it. She popped one of the chocolates into her mouth before moving on to the next gift. It was wrapped in brown parchment, tied with a bit of twine with a small holly spring stuck in the bow; the tag read that it was from Ginny. She opened it to find a small book on ancient runes, with a small velvet bag of polished stones bearing intricately carved runes. She smiled when she thought of that last time she had been with Ginny, and remembered that she had told her about a paper she had read that had incorporated runes into spell casting combined with arithmantic equations that she had found utterly fascinating. At the time, she was sure Ginny had tuned her out as she babbled on about the merits of laying different types of magic into spell work, but that was one of the things she loved most about Ginny, she was a great listener, and an even better friend. Lastly, there was a new jumper, handmade by Mrs. Weasley of course, that was folded with a note to drop by the burrow later for Christmas Dinner.

 

Hermione sat back contentedly and sighed. This was the first Holiday without her parents, and she missed them terribly. She had sent them away over the summer, out of fear that they would be targeted by Voldemort, and since that time, they have been living happily somewhere in Australia with new identities and no memory that they had ever had a daughter. Hermione hoped that someday, she would be able to bring them home and restore their memories. Despite the ache she felt in her chest, at least she could take comfort in the fact that they were safe.

 

Hermione was pulled from her thoughts by a tapping at her window. She opened the window and let in the large raven that had been hovering outside. It flew in and landed on her desk dropping a small box that had a scroll attached. She didn’t recognize the bird, which caused a tendril of fear to slither down her spine. The raven did not wait for a reply and flew quickly back out of the window. She knew better than to touch anything it had brought before running some scanning spells over them to make sure they weren’t cursed. No dark magic was detected on the scroll, so she picked it up and opened that first. Her hands soon began to tremble as she read the contents of the letter:

 

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I must commend your intelligence, as only such a brilliant mind as yours could craft such a plan of deception; travelling through time into the past to infiltrate your enemy at their most vulnerable is truly a strategy worthy of my own design. However, I find myself at an impasse of sorts; your motivation for this deception should be clear, yet it is not. I have found that even the most unwavering members of the Order appear to have no prior knowledge of your actions, yet, you and I both know of our past. What I want to know, Miss Granger, is what you hope to gain from such a liason. Given your blood status, risking my attention was either very foolish, or very brave…I haven’t yet decided which. At the present, I thought I would return this to you, as a warning; I know who you are, and where you are, and should I see fit to destroy you, rest assured, it will be done._

_~Lord Voldemort_

 

 

Her hands shook violently as she picked up the small box. Once again, no dark magic was detected, which considering the source was surprising. She opened it and inside, sat the charmed coin she had long ago given to Tom Riddle back in the orphanage.

 

As much as her head kept telling her that it was past time she involve the order, and embrace whatever protection they could provide, something in her heart told her that no matter how crazy it seemed, that she must press on. She hadn’t yet had the interaction with him that would cause the shift. Up until now, he would remember her coming to him, being a friend and a sort of mentor, but other that than, it hadn’t been enough to change his path. His only conclusion would be that she had travelled back in time under the guise of friendship to gather information for the order; to discover his weaknesses so that they could better exploit them. If she didn’t tread very carefully, she had no doubt that his current counterpart would kill her at the earliest opportunity.

 

She put the coin in her desk, and cast an _incendio_ on the letter, watching it turn to ash before her eyes. Coincidentally, she felt her own coin warm in her pocket, signaling that young Tom was contacting her. He must’ve received her Christmas gift.

 

  
**_Christmas Day, 1937_**

 

 

Tom awoke thinking that today would be no different than any other day. Yes, it was Christmas, but not once had that ever meant anything to him. He had never received a Christmas gift, never had a family to spend it with, and so over the years, he couldn’t bring himself to care. When he was a small child, he had once felt a pang of jealousy seeing some kids happily walking out of a shop with their family, who were laden down with gifts, and promises of hot chocolate by a warm fire somewhere that they called home, but that life was not meant for him, and so he told himself that feeling emotions over things he couldn’t have were a waste of time. After a while, he felt nothing at all. He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise when he saw a small parcel wrapped in silver paper with a neatly tied emerald green bow. Maybe someone put it there by mistake? Who would be sending a gift to him? He picked up the package, and read the small tag:   
  
“To Tom, From Hermione” it read.

 

She had got him a Christmas gift? He hadn’t gotten her anything, not that he thought she had expected him to. They hadn’t even mentioned the upcoming holiday when last they spoke.

 

With a sudden excitement he couldn’t quite ignore, he tore open the paper to see a brand new book, one that he felt would be very useful in his current lessons with her. The Hogwart’s library did not have this book, not even in the restricted section; he knew, because he had checked. But now, he had his very own copy. He opened the book and immediately became engrossed in absorbing all of the information that it possessed. A few moments later, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him that breakfast would be welcome before he lost most of the day in the book’s pages. He hopped out of bed, quickly showered and dressed in his usual school uniform, with not a hair out of place. Before heading to the great hall, he decided to do something he had never done ever in his life; he would go to the room of requirement and contact Hermione, so that he could thank her. He had never before had much need to ever thank anyone because no one had ever given him anything, until today.

 

 

**_Christmas Day, 1997_ **

****

Hermione headed up to the seventh floor, feeling the coin still warm in her pocket. She paced in front of the blank wall until the door appeared, and she entered, looking the same as it always did. She pulled the time-turner out and gave it almost 6 full turns, and the world spun around her. Once the room stopped spinning, she spotted Tom sitting on the couch, waiting patiently for her. She walked towards him and took a seat next to him. He had a small content smile on his face, and he was staring into the flames still not acknowledging her presence. She was about to say something when he finally spoke:

 

_I’ve never had a Christmas gift._

_Well, now you have, Tom._

 

He turned to look at her fully then, studying her face.

 

_Thank you._

 

She was taken aback for a moment, but quickly hid her surprise and responded in kind

 

_Your welcome, Tom. I hope you’ll find it as useful as I have._

_I will, I’m sure. I’ve already read about a few spells that I want to try straight away._

 

Hermione smiled at his eagerness to learn, since she knew she possessed that very same quality.

 

_Tom, there is something else that I would like to do. May I see your coin for a moment?_

 

Tom looked at her in confusion, but pulled the coin from his pocket handing it to her slowly as if he was afraid she would damage it.

 

_No need to be worried, I’m not taking it back if that’s what you are concerned about._

 

She smiled at him and then said a whispered incantation before tapping the coin gently with her wand

 

_What did you do?_

_I added another charm to the coin, so that when you wish to contact me, it will grow hotter the more urgent the summons is; should you need me in a hurry, the coin will become hot enough to almost burn, where if it is not of an urgent matter, it will only feel warm to the touch. Basically, the coin will pick up on your emotional state when you use it, and that will determine how quickly I need to get to you._

_Why couldn’t you just come immediately, regardless?_

 

Hermione smirked at this

 

_Because, Tom, the world doesn’t revolve around you, you know. I am working on a project that is very challenging, and sometimes, I may not be able to get to you immediately, although I would certainly do it if it was an emergency. Do you understand?_

 

Tom just blinked at her, but then shook his head before studying his shoes.

 

_You don’t wish to see me anymore do you._

It wasn’t a question.

 

_Of course not, Tom! I very much enjoy my time with you. It will just give some measure of how urgent you need me. Also, you may find that you do not wish to talk with me quite so much as you do now one day, though I hope you will._

_You’re the only friend I have, why would I not want to talk with you?_

_Oh, I don’t know Tom, maybe you should try to take more interest in some of the other students? Maybe make some new friends?_

_I don’t need new friends. I have you._

 

Hermione smiled at his honesty.

 

_You may not need them, Tom, but, having different friends with different thoughts and personalities will enrich your life. Besides, you’ll always have me._

 

She stood then, and he stood as well, still looking at her and internally debating with himself. She was about to ask him what was wrong until he suddenly stepped towards her and hugged her awkwardly. She was surprised for a moment before she tentatively wrapped her arms around him in return, not wishing to scare him away. He squeezed her tightly as if he thought that if he let go, that she would disappear. She rubbed small circles on his back in a comforting gesture. She imagined that this boy had never received any human contact like this before in his life. Once again, the thought made her profoundly sad, but she held him close giving him the comfort that she knew he had never before been given.

 

Just as abruptly as he had initiated it, he dropped his arms back to his sides and took a step back from her. A blush was suffusing his cheeks, and he nodded to her quickly and left the room without a word. Hermione watched him go. She hadn’t been completely honest with him about the change she’d made to his coin. Now, when he contacted her, not only would it grow warm in the way she told him it would, but it would tell her the date too, so that she would know exactly when it would be critical for her to make sure he doesn’t make the same choices.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 

As Hermione suspected, Tom's visits in his own time became much less frequent. Though he still contacted her and their relationship remained largely unchanged, she suspected he had thrown himself into his studies, and had most assuredly by now have discovered the restricted section in the Hogwart's library. The addition of the date charm to his coin had proven to be a wise decision, as his visits became much more erratic in his own time. To her, time passed normally, and every few weeks to a month, her coin would warm signaling his summons. However, she found that sometimes he would contact her in clusters and sometimes a long period of time would pass for him before he contacted her again. This also took some of the guesswork out of using the time turner, since after his first year when he contacted her on a regular basis, she was meeting him each time now, being able to see that in some cases, significant time had passed for him. As she knew he would, he had grown into a very attractive young man, who had a brilliant mind and a sharp tongue. As was typical for their meetings, they would often have debates on different topics of magical theories, which Hermione found could be both exhilarating and supremely frustrating. He was stubborn to a fault, and when he believed he was right, he would not back down from his argument. Hermione very much looked forward to their meetings, since she never had anyone in her own time that she could hold such stimulating discussions with. The moment she tried to engage Ron or Harry in an academic discussion, their eyes would glaze over and they would quickly turn the conversation towards quidditch. Tom though, was a breath of fresh air.

It wasn't until early May 1997, when Hermione was contacted once again by Lord Voldemort

He had sent the same Raven, once again carrying a letter and a small package. As she had done before, she scanned both items only to find that once again, they were free of Dark magic.

_Miss Granger,_

_Once again, I find myself unable to resist the temptation of contacting you, as I had so often done in my youth. I confess I do not look kindly on having information withheld from me, however, It is only you that can provide the answers I seek. I have provided, along with this letter, a portkey that will transport you to my private quarters for a meeting. I am offering this one benevolent act so that you will answer my questions. You shall not be harmed, unless of course, you displease me with your insolence. You may find yourself asking why you should accept, although knowing you, as I do, your curiosity will win out in the end._

_~Lord Voldemort_

Hermione set the letter on her desk and took a deep breath. Once again, logic dictated that touching a portkey sent to her by Lord Voldemort would be tantamount to suicide, however, he was right, her curiosity was piqued. He said the meeting would be private, and that she wouldn't be harmed. Still, knowing him as she did, she wasn't completely daft, and she would most certainly protect herself as best as she could before entering into the proverbial snake's den. He wanted answers that she knew were linked to her visits to him in his past. She would do her best to answer them. She made a second portkey of her own, as an insurance policy in case he decided to trap her there. She also brought more of that Peruvian instant darkness powder, and a secondary wand that no one knew she possessed in holster hidden beneath her clothes on her forearm.

She couldn't believe she was actually considering this… _what would Harry and Ron say?_ They'd tell her she was mental, of course.

With her mind made up, she charmed a marble into a portkey that would return her to the gates of Hogwarts should she find herself in trouble, and stuffed the small still wrapped portkey that he had sent her into her pocket before making her way down to the gates of Hogwart's. She was able to slip out using a _'notice me not'_ enchantment without anyone being the wiser.

Once she reached the gates, she held her breath and grasped the unwrapped portkey in her hand before the disorienting feeling of being flung up into the air took hold.

She landed with a grunt on the floor, rubbing the back of her head where it had hit the ground.

"You still haven't learned how to land gracefully using a portkey, I see."

She froze. She recognized his voice, yet she felt like she was extremely out of her depth. This wasn't a young Tom Riddle who she had just recently seen, this was Lord Voldemort, who by all rights hadn't laid eyes on her for fifty years.

She stood, not willing to meet his eyes, though she had a feeling he would respect her more if she did. She raised her eyes, and couldn't hide the sharp intake of breath when she fully took in his appearance for the first time. She had heard Harry's description of Voldemort to be sure, but aside from a brief appearance at the Department of Mysteries in her fifth year, she was never able to catch a glimpse of him herself. Words couldn't describe the ache she suddenly felt in her chest. Seeing him like this, suddenly made her feel like she had failed him; like she hadn't done enough. Though she knew logically, that his choices were his own, regardless of her attempts to intervene.

"Does my countenance frighten you?" He asked with contempt lacing his voice

"It's just…I suppose it completes the image you wish to project", She said boldly, lifting her chin in defiance. She would not let him make her cower in fear.

He surprised her then, and laughed, a high pitched cold sound that sent a chill down her spine.

"You always were brutally honest, I see that hasn't changed."

"No, it hasn't. Now, while we are being honest, why have you brought me here?"

"Oh, I think you know, Hermione. Did you think I would never figure out your little secret?"

"I had rather hoped not." She said looking away from him and biting her bottom lip nervously.

He smirked, his thin lips in a twisted version of a sneer

He grabbed her upper arms roughly and pulled her towards him

"Why did you do it? Answer me!" He shouted.

"I had my reasons." She said softly

"I'm not a fool, Hermione, I know that the Order has not put you up to it, and even Dumbledore is unaware of your extra-curricular activities, so pray tell, what reasons could you have possibly had?" he asked squeezing her arms tighter

"I just…It was wrong how they treated you." She whispered.

He let her go as if she had burnt him

"Explain yourself." He commanded.

Hermione took a deep breath, knowing that the only thing to do was to tell him the truth.

"I hadn't known that you were Head Boy in 1944. Harry was the one who told me. I had just been made Head Girl, which I had worked really, really hard for, and I was really angry when I found out."

Voldemort looked at her, slightly confused

"And why would such a thing, that happened more than fifty years ago, be of any consequence to you?"

"Because!" She shouted at him, surprising even herself with the force of her anger, "You were brilliant! You had everything going for you! You threw it all away, and for what? Some stupid-"

He cut her off then, his voice deadly quiet, and his eyes blazing red with anger, "I'd choose my next words very carefully, Granger, if you value your life."

She was still breathing fast, hands trembling with anger, but she reigned in her temper and continued in a calmer tone, "I was angry, because I felt that if someone who's views are so diametrically opposed to mine could be given the same honor, It felt wrong to share that with you somehow. I was scared that if someone like you, who was so intelligent with a clear path to success, could succumb to darkness, then so could I." It wasn't said maliciously, just honestly.

"So why did you do it? What was your purpose?" he asked running his fingers across his forehead in frustration.

"I hadn't planned to, initially. I was merely curious, and I wanted to know more about your motivations. I wanted to understand."

"Understand what, precisely? How someone like _me_ could possibly become the Dark Lord?" his voice dripping with derision

"Well, yes actually!" she said throwing up her hands in frustration.

"You know nothing about me, Granger, don't presume to think you do." He growled

She shook her head and smiled sadly and then she spoke gently, "You're right, I didn't. I had always judged you based on what I thought to be the truth, which was unfair. By doing so, I had done the same thing everyone before me had ever done, and for that, I am sorry."

He turned towards her sharply, thinking he must've misheard her.

"You're sorry?" he asked incredulously

"I wanted to understand, so I managed to convince Dumbledore to let me view all of his memories of you. I had to see for myself." She explained

"And? Did you find what you were looking for?" he said venomously.

"I was furious with what I saw, though for once, that anger was not directed at you." She said

"Pardon?" She would have laughed at the look of confusion on Voldemort's face, had she not been in such a precarious situation.

"Dumbledore was wrong for treating you as he did all those years ago. When you needed guidance, he turned his back on you. After seeing this recurring pattern over and over again, I decided to do something about it myself."

"How _noble_ of you. I didn't need your pity then, Granger, and I certainly don't need it now." He spat.

"It was never pity. I meant every word I ever said to you. I wanted you to succeed, Tom."

He closed his eyes when she said his given name, wholly without fear of retribution. In that moment, she was his Hermione once again.

"Why did you stop contacting me, Tom?" she asked quietly reaching a hand towards his arm.

"I didn't need you anymore, Granger, why should someone descended directly from Salazar Slytherin need the _friendship_ of a mudblood." He looked at her with pure loathing then, and he watched as her eyes welled with unshed tears.

"Then that's it then. There's nothing more to say to each other." She said as she angrily wiped her eyes on her sleeve, feeling weak for letting him see her tears.

He didn't say anything right away, but finally said, "I will allow you to leave this time, but just know, this changes _nothing_. Once you leave here you are nothing more to me that the mudblood sidekick of Harry Potter. I will enjoy destroying him, and then, I will destroy you."

He tossed a portkey at her that transported her back to the gates of Hogwart's. She crawled through the gates and slumped against a nearby tree, her shoulders shaking violently with the force of her sobs.

It was over an hour later that she finally managed to pull herself together enough to head back into the castle. She entered her Head Girl's room and collapsed on her bed heavily, wanting nothing more than to fall into a deep sleep. She was so tired from carrying this heavy burden, and keeping it from everyone. She knew Harry would be furious with her if he found out what she had done.

She had to find some way to get through to Tom early in his sixth year, before he could unleash the Basilisk loose on the school, _but how?_ Just before Hermione drifted off to sleep, the answer came to her like it was the most obvious thing in the world; _Love_. The realization that she was in love with Tom Riddle shook her to the core. It was the reason she was risking her own life to save his. The thought of losing him to Lord Voldemort made her feel like her heart was in a vice. She had to tell him. Not just that she loved him, but she had to tell him everything; that she was from the future, and that she knew what he would become unless _he_ chose not to.

 

~~{0}~~

 

The next morning, which was thankfully a Saturday, Hermione felt a pit of anxiety in her stomach that set her on edge. Now that she knew the truth, and what she had to do, she was absolutely terrified. Once she did this, there was no going back to change it. If he rejected her, his fate would surely be sealed. She tried to tame her thoughts as she showered, and dressed, to no avail.

At breakfast, Harry and Ron noticed that she was picking at her food, and kept peppering her with questions. She gave them a lame excuse that she just wasn't feeling well, and that she would go straight to Madame Pomfrey after breakfast. Instead, she went straight to the room of requirement.

She paced back and forth and envisioned the room where she usually met Tom. When the door appeared, she entered. She sat heavily on the couch and tried to get her thoughts together.

_How does one proclaim to someone that they are in love with them? Do they just spit it out, or do they work up to it gently?_

She was feeling very out of her depth. She had never before had a serious relationship, only a few dates here and there. She had always thought she fancied Ron, but she realized now that Ron was one of her best friends, and because of that, he was truthfully, more of a convenient place holder for the real thing. She had never felt the intense highs and lows she had felt about Tom, with anyone else. At first, she was simply curious about him, but then that curiosity had led her to actually contact him, and from there, she truly got to know him; the real Tom Riddle that no one else had likely ever known. He was charming and infuriating, handsome, and sarcastic, and she couldn't imagine him any other way. She didn't want to change him, not truly, she just wanted him to know that he could become so much more than the dark path he had chosen without her. She could never see him being the domestic type, certainly he would never settle for a small house in the country with a white picket fence and lots of children, but she could see him being a high ranking ministry official, maybe even Minister of Magic, or even a Professor who would become one of the top minds in magical research. A small smile formed on her lips at the thought. She could be happy with a life like that; a life with him.

At her last meeting with Tom, he had been halfway through his fifth year, and she could tell he had started to seem distant. This would likely be her last chance to get through to him. She took a deep breath and pulled the time turner out from beneath her robes and gave the time turner exactly 5 and one-half turns, taking her back to May 1943. This would be towards the end of Tom's sixth year. She then changed the setting to 'Months' and gave the time turner eight full turns to bring her even further back to September 1942, back to the start of his sixth year.

Before she could second guess herself, she summoned a house elf.

"What can I be doing for Miss?" the small house elf asked her

"Could you please ask Tom Riddle to come to the Room of requirement straight away? Tell him Hermione needs to speak with him."

"Yes, Miss" the elf said before disappearing.

She sat on the couch and waited for Tom to arrive. Her stomach was doing flip flops, and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

_Get a grip, Hermione, you're a Gryffindor!_ She scolded herself

A few moments later, she heard footsteps approaching the door, and her heart began to thud in her chest even faster.

Tom opened the door and walked in, closing it quickly behind him.

"Hermione? What is it? Is everything alright?" He asked her, a look of concern crossing his handsome face

She smiled nervously at him as he took a seat on the couch next to her.

"Your hands are shaking, what's wrong?" he asked again

"Nothing is wrong, exactly…I just…" she trailed off not knowing how to say what she needed to say.

He didn't say anything, he just waited patiently for her to continue.

"Tom, I need to tell you about some things…a lot of things actually, and I know it's going to seem utterly mad, but I need for you to listen." She said bringing her hands up to her lap to try and stop the trembling.

He looked at her in way that he had never looked at her before; protectively. It made a sudden warmth flare in her chest. It gave her a glimmer of hope.

"Hermione, if you are in some kind of trouble, I can protect you…you know I can."

She laughed at the irony of the situation that was completely lost on him, but continued.

"Tom, have you ever wondered why it is that I never seem to age though several years have passed?"

He looked at his hands pensively, considering her question.

"I have. I had considered that the project you were working on was for some kind of anti-aging research…"

The corner of her lips curved up in a smirk.

"No, that's not it," she chuckled, "Though I would have been surprised if you had worked it out."

"So if it's not a potion, then how?"

She pulled the time-turner from beneath her robes, and said simply, "I'm from the future, Tom."

He stared at her, his eyes widening in shock

"When are you from?"

"1997."

"But why?" His expression was more guarded now, which caused her nerves to heighten once again.

"Because I know things about you, Tom. The choices you make now will affect many lives in the future, and not in a good way. I wanted to understand more about you; to understand why you made those choices. Dumbledore allowed me to view his memories of you from his first interaction with you at the orphanage, and through your school years, and truthfully, I was appalled by his complete disregard of you…it was wrong of him to treat you as he has done."

"So what am I then, some subject to be dissected and studied? I didn't need your pity!" he roared at her standing from the couch, a look of betrayal on his face.

Hermione flinched as if he had slapped her; she recalled Lord Voldemort saying almost those exact words.

"It wasn't pity, Tom, never pity. I meant every word. I came to you, because I understood how difficult it was being thrust into a world of magic, and being made to feel as if I wasn't worthy of my gift by others who were born into it. It was wrong for Dumbledore to treat you as he did, especially back when you were still a child. Once I saw those memories, a lot of things became clear to me. You didn't deserve that, and I wanted to make sure you knew that, at least."

Tom was looking down at his feet, refusing to meet her eyes, and she could see a muscle twitching n his jaw. He was angry, and honestly, she didn't blame him.

"Please say something." She whispered, reaching out towards him.

"Like what, are you expecting me to thank you for being kind to me when no one else had ever taken the time? What do you want from me, Hermione?!"

"I want to save you from yourself! Don't you see? I know what you will do, and I know where it will lead. You will lose yourself, Tom, and once that happens, there is no going back. It was never about anything else."

"What do you mean by that?" he whispered

"You will discover your true heritage this year, and with that knowledge you will use it against those who have treated you unfairly in the past. You will essentially become one of them, and begin to do terrible things."

"Who am I descended from, Hermione, Tell me!" he roared at her

Hermione flinched, and took a deep breath. He was going to find out anyway, so she may as well tell him.

"Salazar Slytherin. You are the Heir of Slytherin, Tom. You will use that title to make all of the purebloods that treated you as inferior cower in fear before you. You will release the Basilisk – Yes, Tom, that is the monster that resides in the Chamber of Secrets– and it will kill a muggleborn student. You will delve into depths of dark magic from which you can never recover. You will command a group of followers who will do your bidding, which is mostly to torture and kill people like me. You split your soul seven times, shattering your humanity. Eventually, you will be destroyed by a killing curse that backfires on you when you attempt to kill an infant. You will return years later due to dark objects that you had created prior to your demise, however, you do not return intact as you are now; but as a soulless monster who is merely a snake-like shell of the person you once were. You will do all of this, under the name Lord Voldemort"

Tom stared at her as if he had seen a ghost.

"I know you're better than this, Tom, that is why I tell you all of this now. It doesn't have to happen this way."

"You don't know what it's been like, all these years! How could you tell me that I am the Heir of Slytherin, and expect me to turn my back on the power that it brings?" he shouted at her angrily. Before she could say another word, he suddenly pointed his wand at her and shouted, "Legillimens!"

Hermione felt him invade her mind, the force of his anger was palpable as he sifted through her memories apparently looking to see if she spoke the truth. He watched a memory of her walking around the corridors in her second year carrying a small mirror that she had been using to look around the corners to protect herself from the Basilisk. He also saw her talking with Myrtle's ghost in the second floor bathroom. The memory then shifted to her fourth year; she was at what appeared to be a tournament, when suddenly a boy with glasses appeared by portkey holding the lifeless body of another student. The boy was shouting ' _He's back! Voldemort's back!_ ' as he sobbed over the fallen boy's body. Then he watched as she fought his death eaters at the ministry, and getting hit by a nasty slicing hex in the process. Her memory shifted again, and now he watched as she raised her wand at her parents and erased all their memories of her. He could feel the desperation she had felt as she had done it, all because of him. He felt an ache in his chest when he saw himself as Lord Voldemort. Bile rose in his throat as he took in the monstrous snake-like appearance and red eyes he would have in the future. He didn't want to see anymore…

He withdrew from her mind as swiftly as he had entered it, leaving her breathless.

He stood and turned his back to her, not speaking. Fear crept into her heart that she had already lost him. She rose and took a step toward him, only to see him hold up his hand to stop her. He still hadn't turned around, nor uttered a word.

"Do you want to kill me now, Tom?" she asked him suddenly making him look at her sharply.

His nostrils flared. _How could she think that? After all this time…_

He swallowed, pushing his anger aside, finally trusting himself to speak.

"You know I could never hurt you."

"If you choose that path, and release the Basilisk, it's the same as killing me. It will begin with that first muggleborn, and then there will be more."

"It's not the same, Hermione…You are not them."

"It is the same! In my time, I had been fighting for my life and my freedom from you and your followers since I was a first year at Hogwarts. You just saw it with your own eyes, Tom! You may not want to harm me now, but you will when you have fully turned into _him_. Don't be a hypocrite; just because you found out that you have been descended from a pureblooded family, you can't pretend the rest of your life didn't exist. You can't pretend that _I_ don't exist."

"Why are you trying to _help_ me? After everything I've done to you..."

"I hadn't intended to initially; at least not until I saw Dumbledore's memories. Honestly, I thought that maybe if I understood you, maybe I would find some way to stop you. But then, I saw those memories, and everything changed. You weren't born evil, Tom, you were made evil. You needed guidance, which Dumbledore should have given you. He failed you. It made perfect sense to me that after you had constantly been denied and seen as undeserving that you would make the choices you have. I know it hasn't been easy for you, Tom, and I don't pretend to know how that must've felt, but I have risked my life to give you this chance."

"If not for pity, then why?"

Hermione took a deep breath and met his eyes. There was no turning back now.

"Because I love you, Tom."

Her words were a simple truth, but hearing it took his breath away. No one had ever uttered those words to him before, and he was sure he had never felt anything close to that for anyone, until she came along.

When he didn't say anything, she stood and walked towards the fire, wrapping her arms around her midsection. She couldn't bring herself to look at him…to see the rejection in his eyes.

She was surprised when his arms slid around her waist from behind and he pulled her against him. She felt him exhale into the crook of her neck.

"No one has ever said that to me before. Do you mean it?"

She inhaled sharply, her heart was beating frantically in her chest in response to how his body molded perfectly to hers. She turned to face him, his arms still holding her to him, and looked into his stormy grey eyes.

"Every word." She breathed as he leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes falling shut.

"Say it again." He whispered brushing his lips lightly against hers

"I love you, Tom"

He kissed her hungrily then. One of his hands let go of her waist to slide into her hair. Her arms wound around his neck pulling him closer to her. When he finally broke the kiss breathing heavily, and once again resting his forehead against hers, he smiled.

"So what will you have me do?" he asked her

"Your decisions are your own to make, I merely ask that you do what is _right_."

He nodded, his finger brushing her cheek to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear.

"I need to go back now, but please think about what I said." She told him as she stepped away and pulled the time turner out from her robes.

"I'll see you soon, _Hermione_." He said and smiled as he watched her fade away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut in this chapter!!

**Chapter 7**

 

Hermione spent the rest of the day Studying. It was later that night when she felt her coin warm in her pocket and grow hotter by the second until it was almost hot enough to burn her skin. She looked at the coin, and it read:

_October 31, 1942_

Hermione flew up the stairs in record speed, until she reached the room of requirement. She paced back and forth until the familiar door was revealed, and she quickly went in and pulled out the time-turner. She changed the setting to decades and gave it 5 full turns, and then switched the setting to months and gave it almost 7 full turns. The room spun around her and then settled once more. As soon as the room stopped spinning, she opened her eyes and she saw Tom waiting for her by the fireplace. He was breathing heavily, and leaning over slightly with his eyes closed.

"Tom?" She called out to him, placing a hand on his shoulder from behind him.

When he turned to face her, her breath caught in her throat. She noticed how disheveled his appearance was, which was a far cry from his usually immaculate state. His uniform was torn, and he had a cut on his cheek. In his hand, he was clutching the sword of Gryffindor.

"Tom…what happened to you? How did you get that…" She choked out, pointing to the sword, not daring to hope it could mean what she thought it did…

"It's dead, Hermione."

"What is dead, Tom?" she asked him, her voice shaking

"The Basilisk. I opened the Chamber of Secrets, and I killed the Basilisk. It'll never harm anyone ever again."

A rush of relief spread through her at his words, "And the sword?"

"Fawkes brought it to me. I had finally found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. I went in, and called forth the Basilisk. I needed to see it for myself. I heard it whispering to me that it wanted to kill. I knew who it was trained to kill, all the way back from Salazar himself. He had intended his heir to carry on what he considered to be his _noble work_." He said, his words dripping with disgust, "It was then that I thought of you, Hermione. I could see your face in my mind, and I knew in that moment, that I would never let that thing out. It knew I was there to kill it, and it turned on me. If Fawkes hadn't come when he did, I might not have made it out alive. He brought me the Sword of Gryffindor, and I used it to kill the Basilisk."

Hermione stared at him in awe. She watched the flames dancing off of the sword's shiny surface, glinting in the firelight.

"Say something, please…" he pleaded needing for her to tell him that he had done the right thing…that he had made the _right_ choice.

She didn't speak; instead she crossed the distance between them and crushed her lips against his, willing him to feel everything that she was feeling in that moment. She heard the clang of the sword as it hit the stone floor, and then she felt his hands threading into her hair, pulling her roughly against him. His kiss was needy and demanding, and it sent a jolt of desire straight through her.

"I need to touch you", he whispered against her mouth

Hermione moaned in response as she guided his hands to the hem of her shirt, silently giving him permission. He pulled her shirt over her head and then his mouth found her collar bone, and began to trace it with his tongue. She could feel his hardness against her thigh, and the force of her desire for him made her light-headed. His lips moved up to capture hers once more, and she began to loosen his tie and pull it from his neck without breaking the kiss. Her fingers moved swiftly to undo the buttons of his white oxford shirt, pulling it over his shoulders before tossing it to the floor.

"..Need you so much…" she mumbled between kisses.

He managed to unclasp her bra, and she almost protested when his lips left hers until his mouth and hands found her breasts instead. He dropped to his knees in front of her, grasping her waist and leaving a trail of wet kisses down her stomach.

"So soft…beautiful…" he whispered against her skin, and he felt her shiver at his touch.

He pulled her down with him onto the sofa, claiming her mouth once again in a searing kiss. He settled himself between her legs, and he could feel her hands reaching down to the button on his pants. He felt a jolt of nervousness then, and stilled her hands

"If you want to stop…" she began

"No, its not that…I think you can feel how much I want you…" he said, and to make his point, he pressed himself against her causing her to bite her lip from the contact.

"I just…I've never…" he trailed off, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

Seeing his insecurity, she wanted him more in that moment, than she ever had before…

"Tom, make love to me…please" she told him and kissed him again for encouragement.

He deepened the kiss, and began to rock against her, his hardness creating a delicious friction between her legs. His hands found the zipper of her skirt, and he slid it down over her hips and she kicked it to the floor. He hooked his thumbs into the waist band of her underwear, and pulled them off, those too finding their way to the floor. She slipped her hand down into his pants and stroked him as he rocked against her. He moaned into her mouth and she could feel him growing harder in her hand. She opened his pants and began to push them down, and gasped when she felt the tip of his cock brush against her entrance. She was sure he could feel how wet she was, as his hands slipped beneath her to grasp her bottom. He looked into her eyes then, seeking permission. She didn't speak, but rocked her hips forward against him urging him to continue. He entered her with a quick thrust, causing her to cry out. He bit his lip and barely contained a growl as he stilled himself fully inside her. When she began to rock against him once more, he began to slowly move into her, squeezing her hips tightly with each thrust. Her orgasm began to build like a tight coil in her belly with each of his thrusts. The feeling of him moving inside of her, coupled with the feral growls he was making, sent her over the edge. She cried out, digging her nails into his back as her muscles clenched around him in release. He followed quickly after, picking up his pace and stifling a groan as he came inside of her. He collapsed on top of her breathing heavily against her neck. She turned her face and kissed his jaw and sighed contentedly while she ran her fingers through his hair, and traced small circles across his back

He brushed his lips against hers, and with his eyes still closed, he whispered, "I love you, Hermione"

She felt her heart clench in her chest at his words. Words she never dared hope that she would hear him utter, yet here they were.

"I love you, too" she told him and then kissed him again wanting to convey the depths of her love for him that she couldn't put into words.

"What happens now?" he asked her, entwining his fingers with hers while they still lay together on sofa.

"I don't know, "She whispered, I'll be graduating soon, which means I'll no longer have access to the time turner. I couldn't ask you to wait for me, although there is a selfish part of me that hopes more than anything that you will." She told him honestly

"I don't want anyone else. It's always been you, Hermione." He told her and kissed her more tenderly.

"Fifty years is a long time to wait…" she said while swiping a traitorous tear from her cheek

"I'd wait an eternity if it meant I'd have you in my arms again." He whispered against her neck as he trailed kisses over her jaw, kissing a stray tear away.

Hermione made love to Tom two more times that night before she finally returned to her own time.

 

~~{0}~~

 

Hermione awoke the next morning with a feeling that the world had somehow tilted on its axis while she slept. Sunlight was streaming in through her bedroom window, and she jolted out of bed when she remembered that she had not destroyed the letter that Voldemort had sent her the day before. Panic seized her at the thought of it being discovered by anyone, lest they assume that she was a traitor. She rushed across her room to the desk where she had remembered setting it down, but now, there was no trace of the letter.

_Had someone already found it? What if Harry had come to her room looking for her and saw it…_

She tore her room apart looking for it, but it was useless. It was gone. She decided to head down to breakfast. Surely, if anyone did find the letter, they would have confronted her immediately. Hermione showered and dressed in record time, feeling as if she was walking to her own execution as she headed to the great hall. She was fully anticipating the onslaught as she opened the doors, but it appeared that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Students and teachers were still eating their breakfast as if it was any other day, conversations carrying on as usual.

She spotted Harry and Ron in their usual seats, so she made her way over to them and plopped down across from them and began to fill her plate.

"Morning Hermione. Are you going to take a break from the library today and go to Hogsmeade with us?" Harry asked her.

Harry wasn't acting like anything was amiss, which she was sure he wouldn't be able to do if he had found a letter form Voldemort addressed to her in her bedroom. Clearly, he hadn't found it. Ron also didn't seem to be acting any differently than usual.

"Possibly, I still have loads of homework to do, not to mention an Arithmancy essay to finish before I can even think about going. If I manage to get it all done, I'll meet up with you." She told them.

Her eyes scanned the great hall, and didn't see anyone looking at her suspiciously. Even Headmaster Dumbledore was smiling at something professor McGonagall was saying, not giving off any indication that anything was amiss.

"Ron, can you pass me the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked him

He handed her the copy that lay beside his plate, which was overflowing with sausage and eggs, before resuming his morning ritual of stuffing his face.

Hermione made a face and dabbed a grease spot off of the front page, and scanned the headlines.

**_Dementor's Kiss for Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange_ **

Hermione dropped her pumpkin juice, the glass shattering on the floor by her feet.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry asked her, concern shining in his emerald green eyes.

It was then that Hermione noticed something… _off_. There was something different about Harry's face, and it took her a moment to realize that his scar was _gone_.

"Harry, what happened to your scar?" Hermione asked in a panicked whisper

"My what? Hermione, what are you going on about?" Harry asked her, the look of concern growing on his face.

Hermione grabbed the table to steady herself. _If his scar was gone that could only mean…_

"And your parents? Where are they?" she asked in a small voice that she barely recognized as her own.

"They are back home in Surrey; Hermione, where else would they be? You don't look so good, I think you should go to see Madame Pomfrey." Harry told her reaching out his hand to steady her.

She shook her head in protest, and said, "No, Harry, I'm alright. I think I've just been pushing myself too hard. I'll just go back to my room and lay down for a bit."

Harry nodded, "alright, I'll come by to check on you later to see if you need anything."

Hermione stood on shaking legs, and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as she left the great hall. Just as she stepped through the doors, she collided with a warm body. She lost her footing and began to fall backwards when strong arms caught her and brought her back to her feet.

She was so embarrassed that she began to stutter an apology, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going…"

The words died in her throat as she had finally looked up and locked eyes with a much older Tom Riddle.

He smirked at her, and leaned back casually against the door frame.

Hermione's face grew warm at the memory of how he had made love to her just the night before, "How did you…what are you…how are you here?" Hermione finally blurted out. _What in Merlin's name was going on? Was she still dreaming?_

"Let's take a walk, you look like you could use some fresh air."

Hermione nodded dumbly, following him outside. They walked in silence down to the black lake before he spoke.

"I assume you must have a lot of questions."

"I woke up this morning, and everything is different. Yesterday, you were the _Dark Lord_ and you wanted both Harry and I dead. Today you are walking around Hogwart's like you own the place. Please tell me what is going on…" Hermione said as she rubbed her temples. Her head was starting to throb.

"I should think it was obvious. Your little extra curricular activities caused me to make some different choices in the past that I apparently wouldn't have made without you." He said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"What about the Death Eaters?" Hermione asked remembering the article in the Daily Prophet.

"Not my doing. It probably won't surprise you to learn that without me stepping forward, Abraxas Malfoy took the lead. He started a pureblood elitist faction, which committed horrific acts of violence against any witch or wizard that was not of the purest blood. Some of us fought against them, but they were able to gain quite a lot of support, as well as from some high ranking ministry officials. It was quite the scandal a few years ago. Abraxas' son, Lucius Malfoy, followed in his father's footsteps and took over the cause after Abraxas was thrown in Azkaban. Many have been caught and are awaiting trial, and the latest have just been sentenced. I'm sure you must've seen the Prophet this morning…"

Hermione nodded, feeling lightheaded at what he was telling her. He didn't become the Dark Lord. _He didn't become the Dark Lord_. There was no Lord Voldemort…

"Hermione, do you remember anything at all?" he asked her gently

She closed her eyes, and snippets of memories flashed by. _She remembered her first year, meeting Harry and Ron on the train, being sorted into Gryffindor, Going to classes, sitting in class while Professor Riddle was demonstrating how to disarm an opponent…_

"You're the Defense Professor…" she whispered.

"Yes. I have been the Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts since before you came to Hogwart's…"

"What was it like? Watching me arrive my first year, knowing who I was?" she asked him.

"It was difficult. More difficult than all the years without you. Finally having you close, but not being able to tell you about our connection until after you made the choice to go back in time at the beginning of this year. The shift didn't take place for you until, I assume, what transpired last night for you. For me, it was over fifty years ago."

Once again, Hermione blushed at the memory, and sat heavily on the ground, staring out at the lake. Her head was pounding from the shifting of her memories. Some of her older memories from the alternate timeline were starting to fade while other new ones were taking their place.

"Let me walk you back, you should get some rest. By the looks of it, a pain relief potion probably wouldn't go amiss either." He said while extending his hands down to her to pull her back to her feet.

"This is all so overwhelming, I just need a little time to process it. Thank you Professor." Hermione said respectfully

"I think we're a bit past that, don't you think? Its just Tom." He told her giving her that same boyish grin she remembered that always made her knees go weak.

Hermione nodded biting her lip, "Old habits die hard, I guess. I feel like there is a lot I need to catch up on…" She told him.

"Fair enough. My door is always open."

"Thanks" She smiled at him, feeling a bit more like herself for the first time that morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More smut! I think there's probably smut on almost every chapter until the end…just a fair warning!

**Chapter 8**  

 

The next morning, Hermione was feeling much more settled. Her head no longer ached, and her memories seemed to be much more cohesive now. She was still lying in her bed, thinking about the night that she had spent with Tom after he had killed the Basilisk. The ache between her legs was a delicious reminder of how he had made love to her repeatedly on the couch in the room of requirement. She took her time in the shower, running her hands over her body remembering the feel of his hands as he'd touched her so intimately. Concentrating on her classes today would prove to be a challenge. Suddenly, it was that thought that sent a jolt of excitement and panic down her spine…Tom was one of her Professors. She had Defense class as her last class of the day with Slytherin. She groaned at the unfairness of the situation. How was she going to be able to concentrate without thinking about how his younger self had fucked her senseless just two nights ago? Thankfully, the end of term was drawing near, and she would sit her NEWTS and graduate. Once she was no longer his student, she hoped he would consider wanting to pick up where they had left off.

A thought struck her then, and her heart did a backflip in her chest… _What if he had moved on? Was he married now?_ She didn't know, and thinking back to their conversation the previous day, he had been nothing but respectful towards her. She couldn't decipher anything from that conversation.

With an anxiety that was bound to hang over her all day, she headed down to breakfast. Maybe once she got something in her stomach, it would calm her nerves.

 

~~{0}~~

 

She entered the great hall, and took her usual seat across from Harry and Ron, and began to spoon some fruit onto her plate.

"Long night?" Ron asked her around a mouth full of food, taking in the dark circles beneath her eyes.

Hermione blushed, thinking about her recent lack of sleep, and just who was responsible for it.

"Quite." Was all she managed to say while pouring a cup of tea.

"Hermione, before I forget to tell you, mum and dad are throwing a graduation party for us at the end of the year. They told me to tell you to invite your parents. I can't believe we'll finally be out of here in a little less than two months." Harry said, smiling at her and Ron.

_Her parents. With everything that had changed, she had forgotten that she had her parents back!_

"That sounds great, Harry, Please thank your mom and dad for me. I'll send along the invitation." She said graciously.

Her eyes scanned the head table, casually, looking for a certain Professor. Her breath hitched when she saw that he too was gazing in her direction. When their eyes locked, he smirked at her. She blushed, the memories of the other night once again replaying in her mind. He looked mostly the same, only now he was much more toned then he had been at seventeen, and had a few lines near the edges of his eyes, and a bit of grey mixed into his dark hair near his temples. His jaw was still strong, with a slight five o'clock shadow where he shaved, and he had a small scar on his cheek. She was sure the scar had been from the cut he had gotten the night he had killed the Basilisk. She watched him as he licked his lips sensuously, before picking up his tea cup, taking a sip.

"Hermione, Are you sure you're feeling ok? You look flushed…" Harry asked.

Hermione grudgingly pulled her gaze from Tom and met Harry's concerned gaze, "I'm fine Harry, really." She told him smiling at him. She was very lucky to have such a caring friend in him.

Classes passed by quickly, and surprisingly she was able to block out all thoughts of Professor Riddle… _Tom_ …while taking meticulous notes. Before she knew it, she was walking down the corridor with Ron and Harry into Defense class. Her stomach began to flutter, and she desperately tried to conceal the shaking of her hands as she took her seat near the front. She tried to convince herself that it was silly to be nervous, since he had essentially been her professor for the last seven years, however, she had no memory of having been intimate with him previously. Now of course, that had all changed. She now knew what he looked like naked.

Tom entered the class room and his presence silently commanded the entire room. All conversation immediately ceased, and all eyes were on him. He strode to the front of the room, and leaned casually against his desk, with his arms crossed over his chest looking over the class before he spoke.

"Today, you will duel. You will use the defensive and disarming spells you have been taught over the last seven years, and you will not hold back. I have paired each of you with an opponent who I feel should be of equal skill. You will follow the appropriate dueling etiquette as you have been instructed, and your performance will be graded. Madam Pomfrey has agreed to assist, should medical attention be needed. The use of unforgivables is strictly forbidden; should you break that rule, not only will you find yourself out of this class, but you will most assuredly earn yourself a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Are we clear?"

A sea of heads nodded in silence. Hermione gazed at him, and felt herself growing warm. The way he commanded the room's attention and his absolute confidence was making her aroused. She clenched her thighs together under the desk and when his gaze fell on her, she bit her lip and looked away.

The class began to stand and head over the dueling list to see who they had been paired up with. Predictably, Harry had been paired with Draco Malfoy, and Ron had been paired with Gregory Goyle. Hermione waited her turn patiently to view the list. It had occurred to her that there were an odd number of students in the class, and at least one person would be left without a partner. When she finally managed to scan the list, she was annoyed to find that her name was not on it.

"Professor, Why am I not on the list?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. _Did he think she wasn't capable of dueling or something?_

"Ah, yes. You will be dueling me, Miss Granger." He said casually brushing off her concern.

"That's hardly fair, Professor." She said defiantly raising an eyebrow at him in challenge.

"It's quite fair, Miss Granger, since you are, after all, the most skilled duelist I have had the _pleasure…_ " he emphasized the last word purposefully, "of teaching these last seven years. I assure you, I won't be holding back."

A shiver went down her spine at his words; not from fear, but from excitement.

She smirked at him then, and said teasingly, "Bring it."

The students all gathered around the makeshift dueling platform, and watched as each set of opponents squared off. Harry stood next to her taking in the creativity that some of the students were using to send curses at each other.

"Are you nervous, Hermione? Professor Riddle is supposed to be the most ruthless duelist in Britain…I mean, he defeated Grindelwald when he was just barely out of school!" Harry whispered to her.

Hermione almost gaped at him, but managed to keep her surprise concealed. She hadn't known about Grindelwald; what else had he done differently? "I think I can handle him." She responded, her eyes sweeping over to where he stood watching the current duel.

Before long, she was stepping up onto the platform. Tom had shed his teaching robes, and was wearing only black slacks and a white oxford dress shirt, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He held his yew wand loosely in his hand in front of him as he took his position. Hermione had also shed her outer robes, wearing only her school uniform. She held the black holly wand in her right hand, and smirked at Tom across the way.

"Ready when you are, _Professor_." The title sliding off her tongue like a sensuous caress

They bowed to each other, and before he was fully into position once more, Hermione took the offensive and began to fire curse after curse towards him. She dodged several of his curses, and managed to put up a shield before a particularly nasty slicing hex hit her thigh.

Ron, who had taken her place standing next to Harry, elbowed him with his eyes wide, "Brilliant, our Hermione, brilliant, but scary!"

Harry chuckled at Ron's comment, and watched with rapt attention the duel that was taking place before them. Without warning, both Hermione and the Professor's spells collided forming _Priori Incantatum_. Hermione's eyes grew wide, as she continued to point her wand at him as hard as she could, the force of their joined magic crashing into each other was exhilarating as it was scary. She had remembered that she had seen this before, though this wand had belonged to another wizard, in another time that had this connection with Tom's. She heard Tom shout to her to break the connection on the count of three. In order for both of them to come out of this unscathed, they would need to both pull away at the exact same moment. Hermione nodded and waited for him to begin the count.

" _One…Two…Three…Now!_ "

She was knocked off balance by the force of the magic that blasted outwards, but thankfully, she was unhurt. He rushed over to her, scanning her for injuries, breathing a sigh of relief when he found none.

Once the shock of what had happened wore off, the class had ended and students began to shuffle back to their seats to pack up their belongings.

"Miss Granger, please stay behind." He called over to her before addressing the rest of the class, "I expect two feet of parchment on defensive strategies by Wednesday. Class Dismissed."

Hermione leaned against her desk, waiting for the last straggler to leave the classroom before she spoke. Before she could say a word, he flicked his hand and the door slammed shut and Tom's wards slid into place.

He crossed the room to her in three quick strides and shocked her when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. Her hands grasped the front of his shirt, as one of his hands snaked into her hair while the other slid down her back and over her behind. She moaned into his mouth, wanting to feel his skin against hers. Her hands began to undo the buttons of his shirt, and without breaking the kiss, he lifted her easily onto her desk, spreading her thighs so he could stand between them. He groaned when she nipped at his throat and pressed herself against him wantonly.

"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" he mumbled between kisses.

She kissed him hard, twining her tongue with his before he pulled his mouth away to leave a trail of kisses over her jaw and down her neck. She could feel his hardness against her core, and wanted nothing more than for him to take her hard and fast right on the desk.

" _Priori Incantatum_." She whispered breathlessly as he opened her shirt and slid her bra straps over her shoulder using his teeth.

"Elaborate" he growled hooking his thumbs under the waist band of her panties before pulling them off of her roughly. He grabbed her hand and placed it on the front of his pants that was restraining his cock, which was now painfully hard. She moaned with want as she ran her hand along his length.

"Our wands have twin cores. Phoenix feathers."

Her hands reached behind her to undo her skirt, but his hands stopped hers as he whispered huskily in her ear, "Leave it on."

She growled with impatience wanting to feel him inside of her, "I need you…"

"As you wish" he whispered against her lips as he pulled his cock free and thrust into her. She threw her head back in pleasure and cried out at the feel of him fully sheathed inside of her. He thrust into her roughly, his breathing becoming more erratic as he fucked her hard on top of her desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist and placed her hands flat on the desk behind her for leverage as he slammed into her over and over again. He was grasping her hips tightly and kissing and suckling her neck, letting out a low groan every time Hermione cried out in pleasure. Moments later, she felt herself clenching around him as her orgasm washed over her, his name falling from her lips like a prayer. He pumped into her a few more times before he spent himself inside of her, breathing hard into the crook of her neck.

He pulled out of her, and used a wandless cleansing spell to clean them both up before tucking himself back into his pants. He bent down, and picked up her panties and held them out to her flashing her that boyish grin that she so loved

"Would you like these back?" he asked cheekily

"Give them here, you pervert!" she teased before striding towards him and pulling him down into another kiss.

"Ouch. I suppose it's partially true…you are still my student." He quipped while pulling his shirt back on and deftly doing up the buttons.

Hermione had just fastened her bra and looked at him thoughtfully, "Not for much longer." She smiled at him predatorily.

"I had envisioned this going much differently." He said honestly, as he watched her button her shirt.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice. _He didn't regret it, did he?_

He ran a hand through his hair, and said, "You know, I have been waiting a long time for you…I wanted it to be more…I don't know, romantic? Not like this…" he said as he gestured to the desk in the middle of the Defense classroom.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself." She said with a smirk, "Besides, I don't know that I could have waited much longer. The moment you walked into the classroom, I wanted to pounce on you." She admitted sheepishly.

"Oh you did, did you?" He smirked while pulling her into his arms once more.

"I did. Just listening to you talk was incredibly arousing." She said as she pulled him into another kiss

"Mmm…better stop that, unless you want me to shag you again." He grinned at her.

She laughed and he wrapped his arms around her. It felt good to be in her own time and have him there with her. The age difference hadn't bothered her either, since in her opinion, he only had gotten sexier with age. She wasn't sure how that was possible since he was so handsome to begin with, but it was true. She had noticed quite a few Slytherin girls batting their eyelashes at him before the duel, and it made her feel good to know that he was hers.

"So what I want to know, is how do you know about the _Priori Incantatum_?" he asked her

"Well, I hadn't much thought about it before, since as you know, my main concern was you…but, before things changed, and you were… _him_ , there was a prophecy. The details have already begun to elude me, but it had to do with you and Harry. He was supposed to have this wand in the other timeline. He was prophesied to be the only one who could destroy you. The wand that chose him at Ollivander's was this wand," she said as she held up the black holly wand, "Ollivander told him that the phoenix who gave the feather that resides in your wand, gave only one other feather…which is in this wand." She explained.

"And how did _you_ come by that wand?" he asked her

She tried to remember, but all she could gather was that it had always been hers. If she had owned another wand in the alternate timeline, she couldn't remember that.

"In this timeline, it was always mine." She told him, shrugging her shoulders, wishing she had a better answer for him.

"It seems, _Miss Granger_ , you are tied to me in more ways than one." He said kissing her once more.

"Mmmm…better stop calling me _Miss Granger_ unless you want to shag me again…" she teased him.

"I'll keep that in mind, _Miss Granger_ , but for now, I believe you need to head to dinner." He said before brushing his lips teasingly across hers.

"You are such a tease." She laughed at him before she pulled herself free and stepped over to pick up her school bag.

"And I'm sure it goes without saying, that until you graduate, we need to be discreet. No one can know about this" and he gestured between them.

"Not to worry, _Professor_ , you have been my little secret for quite some time now." She smirked at him, and he actually blushed.

"Come to think of it, being Head Girl certainly does have its perks…I mean, I do have a private room and bath…" she said casually

"hmmm…yes, I remember the Head's quarters. As tempting as that sounds, I'm afraid my younger self would be quite jealous to know that you were unable to come to me when I called you because you were getting thoroughly shagged by… _me_. Wow, that is something. Should _I_ be jealous?" he laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

"No need to be jealous, Tom, It's always been you. And I must say, that your skill has _definitely_ improved." She laughed

He swatted her on the behind at her presumptuousness, "Well, we did have a lot of practice. Though don't tell my younger self that. On second thought, maybe you should. I always worked excessively hard to make sure I was the best at everything. No matter what, I win." He laughed as he unwarded the door.

"See you tomorrow, _Professor_." She said in a perfectly innocent tone as she slipped out of the door, and made her way up to the great hall.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More smut! (I mean, that's why we read these fics, isn't it? LOL)

**Chapter 9**  

 

That night Hermione decided to spend some time in the Gryffindor common room with Harry, Ron and Ginny. Harry and Ron were currently engaged in a game of exploding snap, while Ginny sat on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her reading the latest trashy gossip magazine.

"Hermione, have you come down from on high to mingle with the commoners?" Ginny snorted at her. She was constantly teasing her about being Head Girl.

"Stop, Ginny, you know the professors have been keeping me very busy." Hermione said holding back a blush when she thought of one specific Professor.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd let Professor Riddle keep me busy all night long if you know what I mean…"

"Ginny!" Both Harry and Ron said in mock outrage at the same time.

"Oh come on, back me up Hermione. He's an utter stud." Ginny said unapologetically. Hermione couldn't help the blush that tinted her cheeks.

"Leave off, Ginny, Hermione has better taste than that." Ron said confidently

"Oh, what, you mean like, _you_?" Ginny teased him as his face turned as red as a tomato.

"Ginny, you're going to give me a complex. I don't want to think that you're comparing me to Professor Riddle every time we…."

Ron cut Harry off holding up a hand in protest, "Please don't finish that sentence, Harry."

Hermione laughed at their antics, and decided to play along a bit, plopping down beside Ginny on the couch.

"Oh, I don't know, Gin, he seems awfully full of himself." Hermione said very matter of fact.

Ron smiled triumphantly at Hermione's words, but his smile was wiped off his face when Ginny spoke next.

"Please Hermione, I don't care if he has an ego the size of Lockhart, and a brain the size of a pygmy puff; with a body like that, I'd let him do anything he wants with me. I mean come on…Have you seen that man's nose? I bet he also has a big-" Harry cut Ginny off before she could finish her sentence.

"Ginny, If a man's nose is proportionate to the size of his junk, then please tell me why Professor Snape doesn't have a line of women beating down his door…"

Ginny sniffed, "Fair point, Harry. I'll concede that one."

Hermione snorted, "Scientifically speaking, Ginny, there is no true relationship between the size of a man's hands, feet, or nose in relation to his penis."

"Well thank you, Professor Granger, But I prefer to live in my fantasy world, thank you very much" Ginny laughed.

"I suppose he does have a rather nice body…" Hermione said a little too dreamily

"Um, we're still here you know." Ron said in annoyance, while making a hand motion towards Harry.

"How could we forget, Ron, the prime male specimens that you are. No offense Harry." Ginny retorted.

"Why I let you talk to me like this, is a mystery to me." Harry said in a resigned tone as he looked over his cards.

"Oh, I know why…it's because I am really talented with my tongue." Ginny said casually as if she was speaking about the weather.

"Ginny! I'm going to be ill, stop!" Ron pleaded.

Harry shoulders were shaking with laughter at Ron's utter look of disgust.

"Speaking of tongues, Ginny, I don't suppose you want to go for a walk?" Harry asked winking at her.

"Don't you dare think about it, mate." Ron roared at him.

Harry was laughing so hard at Ron that he finally held up his hands in surrender and told him he was just teasing.

"So Hermione, what did Professor Riddle want after class?" Ginny said while wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

A pang of guilt ran through her at the thought of lying to her friends, but she knew she had to keep her relationship with Tom under wraps until after she graduated. After that, she'd shout it from the rooftops.

"Nothing much, he just wanted to talk to me about why our wands reacted the way they did in defense class." She said shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"And why did they?" Harry asked her

She thought about telling him the truth, but none of them currently had any memories of Voldemort, and she'd prefer to keep it that way.

"I'm not entirely sure. I've sent a letter off to Mr. Ollivander with our wand descriptions to see if he can tell us anything about it. He told me once, that he remembers every wand he's ever sold."

"I don't doubt it. He's creepy, that one. Mum took me in there to buy my wand, and he remembered the exact wands he had sold to both of my parents, Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred and George. I can't remember what I ate for breakfast half the time, but this bloke can remember all of that? Its bloody creepy." Ron said with a shiver.

Hermione rolled her eyes when she suddenly felt the coin warm in her pocket.

"Well, as fascinating as this discussion has been of our Professor's anatomy, and Mr. Ollivander's creepiness, I am going to head to bed. I'll see you gits, and Ginny, tomorrow." She said giggling as she stood and stretched. The hem of her shirt lifted slightly, exposing the skin at her hip, and Ginny's eyes widened.

"Oi! Hermione! What is _that_?" she said pointing to the obvious love bite on Hermione's hip.

Hermione quickly pulled her shirt over it to hide it and tried to come up with a lame excuse.

"It's nothing! I bumped into one of the desks as I was leaving class earlier today, I'm a right klutz sometimes…" she said nervously.

"Hermione Jean Granger, you are a terrible liar. That is not a bruise, that is a love bite if I ever saw one. Spill it." Ginny said folding her arms across her chest.

"I…ah…It's…complicated." She stammered chancing a look at Ron.

"Ron was frowning, his face was tinged slightly red, and he focusing very hard on the cards in his hands, obviously trying very hard to not meet her eyes.

She felt a stab of guilt, since she knew Ron still had a crush on her, even though he had never actually done anything about it. She didn't want to hurt him, but it's not as if he hadn't done the same to her in the past with Lavender; truthfully, he would just have to get over it.

"Complicated is code for ' _I'm shagging someone but I don't want to say who_.'" Ginny said raising an eyebrow.

"Right in one, Gin. _Goodnight_!" Hermione said quickly and dashed to the portrait hole to make her escape. She heard Ginny call out to her as she stepped through, "Don't think were done discussing this!"

Hermione sagged against the closed portrait and sighed. She only had to keep things under wraps for a little less than 2 months; she could do this.

She shook her head to clear it, and then continued up towards the seventh floor corridor to the Room of Requirement to meet Tom. She paced back and forth in front of the wall, imagining the Room she usually did when she met Tom, and entered when the door appeared in front of her. She pulled out the coin, and was surprised to see that quite a bit of time had passed since the last time he had summoned her. The coin showed that it was now September 27, 1944. That would mean, that it was the beginning of Tom's Seventh year, and he was now Head Boy. Why did that date seem familiar to her?

_Oh._

That was the exact date she went back the very first time she had ever used to the time turner to explore Tom's Head Boy room after she had seen his yearbook photo. She had hid in his armoire when he had unexpectedly returned, and she had managed to escape just in the nick of time. That had been before she had changed anything; he was still on the path to becoming Voldemort then. She shivered as she remembered watching him enter his room and begin to undress. Evil or not, he was still hot.

She pulled the time turner out, not wanting to keep him waiting, and she moved the setting to decades and gave the time turner 5 ¼ turns to bring her to May 1944, then flipped the setting to months and gave it 8 full turns to bring her from May 1944 to September 1944. Tom was leaning casually against the door to the room of requirement as the room stopped spinning around her. He was smirking at her, knowingly.

"You were in my room earlier." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes…but not exactly." She said cryptically.

He raised an eyebrow at her daring her to explain what she meant.

"I was in your bedroom, but it wasn't me… _now_ …today."

"How do you mean?" he asked her

"Well, you see, back in my time, on this day, September 27th, I had just started my seventh year, as Head Girl. That was the day I had found out you were the Head Boy here now in 1944. It was before I met you at the orphanage. On a crazy, _bloody stupid_ whim, I used the time-turner to go back on that day while I was in the Head's rooms. Back then, you were still my enemy, but as I told you before, I was curious, and I suppose I thought maybe I could find something we could use against you; So, I snuck into your room while you were at Dinner. Don't worry, I promise I didn't touch anything. I was only there for a few minutes when I heard you coming back, and I panicked, so I hid inside your armoire. You came in and started to undress…" she hesitated, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment

At this, he smirked at her obvious discomfort, since she had been invading his privacy after all, but he wanted to hear about her reaction to him undressing.

"I was able to use the time turner to send me back before you opened the doors." She finished lamely. "You see, that was almost a year ago now for me, and since then, everything has changed."

"Did you like what you saw?" he asked her, still smirking as he walked up to her predatorily.

She tried to hide her smile, "Aside from the fact that I was utterly terrified, you mean? Then yes. How did you figure out that it was me?"

"Your perfume gave you away. I caught the scent as I was undressing, and I knew it was you. I wasn't sure how you did it, since we have only ever met here, or that one time at the orphanage, but I knew. I understand _now_ why you rushed off so quickly, but I must confess, I was disappointed that you did." He said brushing his lips against her ear.

"Well then I shall try very hard to make it up to you, Mr. Riddle." She said cheekily, capturing his lips in a kiss.

He groaned sliding his hands down her back to hear rear, and pulling her tightly against him.

"Spend the night with me." He whispered seductively in her ear while nuzzling her neck.

"What did you have in mind?" she said while running her fingers through his hair and giving him better access to her neck.

"Use a disillusionment charm, and you can follow me down to my room. From there, I plan to thoroughly ravish you in my bed." He whispered against her throat giving it a playful nip.

"Lead the way, then" she said breathlessly.

He stepped back from her and cast the disillusionment charm over her. She felt a tingle starting at the top of her head, make its way over her body as if someone poured warm water over her. She lifted her hand, and she couldn't see it.

She followed him over to the door, and watched as he took a step out and looked around quickly, making sure no one was around. He gestured for her to follow him as he walked purposefully down the hall. As they rounded the corner, Tom was stopped by a much younger Professor Dumbledore. Hermione's heart hammered in her chest, hoping that she wouldn't be discovered. She knew that Dumbledore had never liked Tom, and she said a silent prayer that he would give him a break for once and let him go. She noticed that as he spoke to Tom, that his eyes kept casually flicking over to where she stood pressed against the wall. She knew the disillusionment charm was in place, but she had a feeling that he knew she was there.

"Its a bit late to be wandering about the castle, Tom"

"I was just finishing my rounds, Professor. I'm headed straight back to the Head's quarters now." Tom lied smoothly.

Professor Dumbledore's eyes shifted once more to where Hermione stood, and the familiar twinkle once again appeared in the Professor's blue eyes. Something she never expected to see while he was speaking with Tom Riddle.

"See that you, do, Tom. Have a pleasant evening." He said giving Tom a small knowing smile before he continued on his way.

Tom and Hermione both stared after the Professor as he walked away from where they stood, shocked as the professor was actually _whistling_. Tom made a surprised face and smiled to himself as he continued to the Head's quarters.

He gave the password to the portrait, and entered the common room that he shared with the Head Girl. He didn't waste any time, and ushered her into his private bedroom where he warded the door and cast a silencing spell on the room, before ending the disillusionment charm on her.

"I thought we were caught there for a moment" he laughed as he pulled her close to him.

"He knew. I mean, he didn't know _who_ I was, I'm sure, but he knew you had a girl hidden under a disillusionment charm. He _knew_ you were sneaking a girl back to your room, Tom." She teased him

"Well, it seems Dumbledore is cutting me a little slack after all then. He seemed rather happy about it too, if I'm not mistaken."

"I think he just wants you to be happy" she told him kissing his jaw and sliding her arms around his waist.

"I am happy. With you." He kissed her again more deeply this time.

"I'm glad to hear it. I am with you as well. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Ever." She told him truthfully.

"Do you think we could have a future together, Hermione? I mean, I know we're not from the same time, but eventually…" he trailed off not knowing exactly how to say what he was thinking.

"I know we will. In fact, things have already changed. The night you killed the Basilisk was the night you destroyed Lord Voldemort." She told him meaningfully while she took a step back from him and began to loosen her Gryffindor tie. He watched her hands as she pulled the tie from her neck, letting it fall to the floor and her hands once again moved back up to begin opening the buttons of her shirt.

"You will become a Hogwart's Professor… _My_ professor, as a matter of fact." She said as she let her shirt fall to the floor joining her tie

At this, he raised his eyebrow, "Oh? And have you earned any detentions with me yet?" he asked playfully.

"Well, not per se, I'm not exactly a delinquent, you know. However, I have stayed after Defense class…" she told him biting her lip and unclasping her bra, letting that too fall to the floor.

"And what precisely did I ask you to stay after class for?" he said as he closed the distance between them, letting his hands slide up her thighs and up under her skirt.

"It's hard to say, really, since we weren't doing a whole lot of talking…" she moaned and her eyes slipped shut as his hand slipped beneath her panties and his fingers entered her possessively.

"How scandalous. The Head Girl fucking her Professor. Tsk tsk" He curled his finger inside of her and within moments, he felt her muscles clenching around him as she cried out her release. She watched as he removed his fingers from beneath her skirt, and locked eyes with her as he slid them into his mouth to taste her essence. He groaned at the taste of her, and she could see his erection straining against the front of his pants.

She pushed his blazer over his shoulders, sliding it off of him and tossed it on his desk chair. She grabbed his tie and pulled it from his neck, followed by his oxford shirt, until he was standing before her in only his black uniform pants. She kissed him deeply, teasing him with her tongue. She trailed kisses over his jaw and slowly moved down his neck. She smoothed her hands over the planes of his chest and continued exploring his body with her mouth. She slid to her knees in front of him, and traced the outline of his hardness through his pants as he groaned with need. She deftly opened his pants and let them fall to the floor. He wasn't wearing anything underneath. she grasped his cock and leaned in to give the head a tentative lick. He hissed at the feel of her small pink tongue; he had even dreamt about how it might feel to fuck her mouth. Hermione took him in as deep as he could go, swirling her tongue around the tip as she rocked back and forth on her heels letting him pump into her mouth. She felt his hands cradle her head as she sucked and licked his cock over and over again. He was panting now and whispering her name as she felt his muscles tense and his cock become even harder than it already was. He growled low in his throat as she felt his release coating the back of her throat. She swallowed it, licking him clean before looking up at him with her wide brown eyes.

"That was… _bloody amazing_." He managed to say between breaths as he helped her up from her kneeling position. He slipped his hands behind her, and her skirt fell to the floor, joining his pants. He led her over to the bed, and she sat on the edge before scooting back to the center to lay back upon it. He crawled over her on all fours like a predator stalking its prey before he leaned down and captured her mouth. He could still taste the salty tang of his essence on her tongue, which aroused him even more. Leaving a trail of kisses, he worked his way down from her neck, between her breasts to her stomach, and then further still to her already slick folds. He lapped at her and swirled his tongue around her clit causing her to cry out and arch her back up off the bed in pleasure. Tom groaned as he licked her, sending delicious vibrations through her and heightening her pleasure even more. She needed to feel him inside of her… _now_.

"I want to make you scream my name…" he breathed huskily as he continued to tease her with his tongue

"I need you inside of me… _please_ , Tom… she begged him

"As you wish" he said as he crawled back up towards her reaching down to grasp her leg and wrap it around his waist.

She kissed him hungrily, tasting herself on his lips. She cried out his name when he entered her, and she could see a pleased smile on his lips.

" _So good_ …" she moaned as he pounded into her again and again, hitting the same spot his fingers had earlier that had sent her over the edge.

"You feel so _fucking good_ …so _tight_ …" he groaned as he picked up the pace. He could feel her body start to tense, so he knew she was close.

"Come for me Hermione, I want to feel it…" he whispered seductively in her ear as he fucked her.

She came hard around him, digging her nails into his biceps as she rode out wave after wave of pleasure. He came shortly after, slamming into her so hard, her head hit the headboard.

"Ow…"Hermione laughed running her hand over her head.

He was breathing heavily from his exertions, but leaned over to kiss her head where she had bumped it

"Sorry, my goal was to fuck you into the mattress, not the headboard." He said cheekily grinning at her.

"Well, I'd say mission accomplished. On both counts." She smirked.

He collapsed beside her pulling her close to him so that her head was resting on his shoulder, and then he covered them with the blankets and whispered ' _nox_ ' to plunge the room into darkness.

"I've wanted to do this for a long time." He whispered

"What? Have sex with me in the Head Boy's room?" she chuckled.

"No…well, yes, but that's not what I meant. I meant I wanted to fall asleep with you beside me." He explained and kissed her temple lightly.

Every time she thought she couldn't fall any deeper in love with him, he would say something like that and she would fall even further.

"I have as well. When I'm alone and I go to sleep at night, it always feels like there's something missing." She admitted.

"So are you saying that I haven't snuck into your room in the future while I am a Professor, nor have I snuck _you_ into my quarters? I'll have to remedy that."

"Well, I _did_ offer, although your future self wanted to be considerate of…well… _you_." She laughed.

"How does _that_ make any sense?" he said rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"I suppose your future self knew that you would still be contacting me, and wanted to make sure I would not be…ah… _indisposed_ …when your summons came." She chuckled.

"Normally, I would say _I_ _don't share_ , but I guess in this case, seeing as it is still me, I can't very well deprive my future self of your delectable body, now can I?" he laughed.

"Seeing as I am the beneficiary of your attentions in the future, I would also be inclined to agree." She smiled and kissed his shoulder.

"So…Have you had us both in the same day?" he asked her, running a finger along her thigh.

She could hear the smirk in his voice, and she answered truthfully, "Yes."

He laughed, "Insatiable little minx, aren't you…When was it? Tell me about it…" he asked

"Well, if I'm insatiable, you're a kinky bastard since you want to hear about it…" she laughed.

"I do. The thought of it is strangely arousing to me." He admitted.

"Well, it was this afternoon, for me, anyway…I had all my classes as usual, and Defense was my last class of the day. We share that class with Slytherin, which should come as no surprise. Anyway, you walked into the classroom, and the class was utterly silent. Let me tell you, you know how to command all attention in a room. You told us we would be dueling, being graded on our performance of course, and that you had paired us up. When I didn't see my name on the list, I asked you why I was left off. You told me that I was to duel you…."

"Interesting…continue."

"So when it was my turn, we dueled for quite some time, and you'll be happy to know that you absolutely did not go easy on me. Now that I recall, I owe you for a particularly nasty slicing hex you sent at me by the way, thankfully I blocked it. Anyway, at one point, we must've both shot a spell at the same time, because the force of our spells collided and our wands formed the _Priori Incantatum_. That was when I realized our wands have phoenix feathers given by the very same phoenix. Finally, we were able to break the connection and the class came to an end shortly after."

"Even our wands are connected…was that still true in the alternate timeline when I was… Voldemort?" he asked her.

"No, that's the strange thing…in that timeline, that wand belonged to Harry Potter, but in this one, it is mine." She explained.

"I see. And what happened next?" he asked her to continue as he began to stroke his hand across her ribcage possessively.

"You asked me to stay behind, which I did. After everyone left, you locked and warded the door. Next thing I knew, I was being lifted onto my desk, and you were kissing me. You fucked me in the Defense classroom, right there on my desk. You even asked me to leave my school skirt on you kinky bastard." She laughed which quickly turned into a moan as she felt Tom's fingers exploring her once more.

"Well, I won't deny it. I've never exactly been someone who like to follow the rules." He said before he began kissing her in earnest once more.

"No complaints here…" she breathed before she pulled him on top of her once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a hint of smut in this chapter

**Chapter 10**

 

The next morning, Hermione woke from a blissful night’s sleep snuggled up to a warm body. She nuzzled into his neck and memorized the scent that was uniquely his.

 

Suddenly her eyes open and she sat up in a panic, “Shit! What time is it?”

 

Tom mumbled something incoherent and rolled over pulling the blankets with him

 

She grabbed the small alarm clock off of his nightstand and jumped out of bed.

 

“Tom! I have potions in forty minutes! I’m using your shower!” she told him as she picked up her rumpled uniform off of the floor and shook it out before she cast a scourgify on it. She knew the house elves would take care of Tom’s, besides the fact that he had other clean uniforms in his armoire that he could wear.

 

Hermione stepped under the hot water and sighed contentedly. Her muscles were sore from having so much sex, but she didn’t care. Being in this situation was a first for her, and she rather liked it. As she washed her face, she heard the door to the shower open, and strong arms slide around her waist. She could feel his erection pressing against the small of her back, and she smiled at his enthusiasm.

 

“And you call _me_ insatiable.” She giggled

 

“Well, you _are_ naked in _my_ shower, you can hardly blame me.”

 

“As much as I would love to assist you with that, I’m going to be late for class.” She told him teasingly

 

He groaned and reached down to stroke himself since she was in too much of a rush. There was no way he was going to class like that. She bit back a moan at the sight of him pleasuring himself; it sent a jolt of desire rushing through her, and she wished that she didn’t have to rush off.

 

“I’ll make it up to you later, I promise!” She told him before she kissed him and hopped out of the shower to finish getting ready.

 

She pulled her uniform on and pulled her hair back into a messy bun then made sure no one was in the Head’s common room before she entered it from the Head Boy’s room. She quickly pulled out her time-turner, and gave it 8 full turns forward, then changed the setting to decades and gave it another 5 ¼ turns to bring her back to May 1997.

 

As soon as the room stopped spinning, she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her

 

“Granger? What the hell are you doing?” Draco said whirling her around

 

“None of your business, Malfoy. Shouldn’t you be at breakfast?” she hissed

 

“I thought you weren’t allowed to apparate in the school. What are you playing at?” He shook her roughly

 

Hermione pulled her arm out of his grasp, “I said leave off, Malfoy. I didn’t apparate. Now if you don’t mind, I’m running late for class.”

 

“I saw you, Granger. You just appeared out of nowhere. I’m not blind.” He argued blocking her way out of the common room.

 

“As I said before, it’s none of your business, but if you must know, I was allowed the use of a time-turner to take extra classes. This allows me more study time.” She sniffed haughtily.

 

He sneered at her, “Why am I not surprised. For a minute I thought you were shagging some bloke what with all the sneaking around you’ve been doing lately, how silly of me. You’re way too much of a prude for that.”

 

Hermione smirked as she thought just how close and far from the truth his comment was, but instead just said, “Even if I was shagging someone, Malfoy, it would never be you.”

 

With that she walked into her room to grab her bag before pushing past him out of the portrait hole on her way to class.

 

 

~~{0}~~

 

She didn’t have Defense class that day, which meant she was only able to steal a few glances with Tom in the great hall over dinner. It was during one of these silent staring matches that she noticed the Headmaster looking curiously from her to Tom.

 

_Uh oh._

 

Tom seemed to notice as well, and didn’t chance looking at her for the rest of the meal. Before she could leave the great hall, the Headmaster walked by her seat and stopped.

 

“Miss Granger, I wonder if I might have a word?”

 

“Of course headmaster.” She said while climbing out of her seat and following him out of the hall. Tom watched them leave, a look of worry creasing his brow.

 

When they reached the privacy of the Headmaster’s office, he offered her a lemon drop, and then gestured for her to take a seat.

 

He sat heavily in his chair, and tapped his fingers in front of him on the desk, while studying her over his half-moon spectacles.

 

“Miss Granger, I’m sure as you know by now, I have heard about the incident in the defense classroom.”

 

Hermione’s mind suddenly swirled with panic… _he couldn’t be talking about Tom shagging her, could he?_

 

“The _Priori Incantatum_ is a rare occurrence indeed. I must ask you how you knew about Professor Riddle’s wand?”

 

Hermione breathed a mental sigh of relief.

 

“I have read about wand lore, sir, and the _Priori_ was mentioned. The description of what happens when twin wands meet is unmistakable. As soon as I saw what was happening, it seemed that was the only logical conclusion.”

 

“Professor Riddle tells me that you are quite the duelist. I wonder, Miss Granger, how you have come to attain the level of skill you possess, without engaging in extra-curricular dueling activities; which I am afraid, is quite against school rules.”

 

“I assure you, Headmaster, the skill that I have has come naturally to me. I have engaged in no such practice.” She told him honestly. She couldn’t risk telling him about the alternate timeline and that it was through fighting Death Eaters that she honed her skills.

 

“To be sure, Miss Granger, you are far too honest for such an endeavor.”

 

He once again studied her, while she glanced around his office nervously.

 

“It is curious though…” he said almost to himself.

 

“What is curious, Headmaster?”

 

“That Professor Riddle and yourself are so alike; so much so that your wands are connected. Have I ever told you that Tom was once a student of mine? He was very bright, much like yourself. Always alone though, much to my dismay, though I do think that there was someone he confided in. I was rather concerned for him during his first few years here, being drawn to the dark arts as he was, so you can imagine how surprised I was to learn that he was the Heir of Salazar Slytherin himself, and that he made the choice to go against Slytherin’s beliefs and destroy a rather dangerous creature that had been locked away in the Chamber of Secrets. It was when he brought me the sword of Gryffindor that I knew _I_ had let _him_ down. You see, I was so concerned about his interest in the dark arts, that I chose not to put my trust in him. I am quite happy to say that he proved me wrong. The sword of Gryffindor only presents itself to those who are worthy, and in a great need. Tom very much proved his worth that day.”

 

“Sir, why are you telling me all of this?” Hermione asked, not sure why he was sharing something so personal about his relationship with Tom.

 

“Because, Miss Granger, I am quite sure you already know all of that.”

 

Hermione’s heart skipped a beat as he said those words.

 

“Pardon?” she asked, not trusting herself to say anything else.

 

“Miss Granger, I know that it was you who was with Tom that night in the corridor in 1944. I am not yet sure how you did it, but I know that Tom has found a friend in you, and in turn, you have had a good influence on him. I am quite sure that the choices he made, he made because of you.”

 

To say Hermione was floored was an understatement. She shouldn’t have been surprised; Dumbledore was a formidable wizard, and he seemed to know about everything that went on within the school… _shit._

 

“It is for this reason, I must delicately ask if there is any impropriety in your relationship with Professor Riddle now. I would not forbid you from friendship, of course, but while you are a student, any relationship between a student and teacher of an intimate nature is strictly forbidden.”

 

“Of course Headmaster. Professor Riddle has been nothing but professional in our interactions. I will confess, that while he was a student, as I myself am now, we are…er… _were_ more than just friends. I regret that I cannot divulge any more information about how or why that came about, though you must understand I only do so to protect the integrity of the timeline.”

 

She felt a tinge of guilt about lying to the Headmaster about her and Tom’s current relationship, but they had only been intimate the one time as student and teacher, she would do her best to make sure they waited until her graduation to resume their intimacy. She was not going to allow Tom to lose his job because of her.

 

“Understood, Miss Granger. I have confidence that your actions have probably saved me a lot of heartache, and as such, I would not stand in the way of two students finding love.” He told her, the sparkle once again lighting his blue eyes.

 

“Thank you, Headmaster. If it eases your mind to know, a great many lives were saved because of the relationship that Tom… _Professor Riddle_ and I have.”

 

“Thank you for understanding, Miss Granger.” He smiled at her, and she knew she was dismissed.

 

She headed back to the Head Girl’s room with the idea in mind to have a long soak in the bath. She still needed to finish her Defense essay as well. Boyfriend or not, Tom would not look kindly on her slacking off on her assignment. She stepped into her private bath, and began to peel off her clothes. She made a note to bring a small overnight bag with her next time she decided to have a sleep over in the past with Tom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and noticed the lovebite that Ginny had discovered the night before, as well as a few new ones on her neck. She healed all but one, which she wanted to keep as a physical reminder of their time together. Hermione was never the girl who walked around with love bites on her neck. That was usually left to Lavender, or Pansy Parkinson. She didn’t particularly wish to be lumped into their category as the ‘school sluts’, but, she thought of her love bite as sort of a badge of honor; proof that she was no longer _Hermione the prude_.

 

She sank into the hot bath, and closed her eyes. She wondered what Tom was doing right at that moment, and if he was thinking about her. Her mind was never very far from him, it seemed. She massaged her aching muscles and shampooed her hair before stepping out of the bath and wrapping herself in a towel. She exited the bathroom and made her way over to her bureau to pull out a tank top and a pair of yoga pants to wear to bed, and then made her way to her desk so that she could write to Tom and then start on her homework. It was almost June, thankfully, which meant that she would be sitting for her NEWTS in less than three weeks, and then the week after that, she would be graduating. She pulled out a piece of parchment, and dipped her quill in ink and began to write a letter to Tom:

 

_Tom,_

_I am writing to let you know what transpired during my meeting with the Headmaster earlier this evening; there is good news, and bad news._

_Bad news first: He knows. He knows that you and I are involved, and that our involvement goes back to when you were a student at Hogwarts. I was also correct in assuming that he knew you were sneaking a girl back to your room that night all those years ago – he now knows that girl was/is me._

_The good news: He is under the impression that we have had a completely professional student teacher relationship. I may have omitted a few details about that. You have been the picture of propriety as far as I’m concerned._

_Bottom line: we have to be discreet and keep things “professional” for another few weeks until I graduate, no matter how difficult that may be._

_Sending my love,_

_~Hermione_

_P.S.: I probably shouldn’t have written that._

_P.P.S: Please burn this after you read it._

_P.P.P.S: Since you are burning this anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I am sitting here in my room, wanting you really badly right now. Dammit._

 

Once she finished the letter, she used a spell Ginny had taught her on how to summon an owl. When she heard the tapping at the window, she tied the letter to its leg, and she watched it fly off to Tom. Unfortunately, Hogwart’s was a big castle, and his quarters were likely somewhere on the other end near the defense classroom.

 

She smiled to herself when she thought about how she would never be able to look at her desk the same way again, and then dove into her homework.

 

She had just finished her Defense essay when she heard the light tapping on her window. She hadn’t expected Tom to write back to her so quickly, but she felt her heart flutter in her chest as she pulled the scroll from the owl’s leg.

 

_My love,_

_I feared that Dumbledore would discover our association, and now he has. I can assure you, I will conduct myself with the utmost propriety in your presence, at least for the next few weeks. Once you graduate though, you are mine, and I don’t bloody well care what the old goat has to say about it._

_By the way, I had a most interesting dream last night. You were there, wearing nothing but a skirt and doing wicked things with that tongue of yours. I’ll be putting that on the to-do list for after you graduate._

_Love,_

_~Tom_

_P.S Definitely burn this._

_P.P.S: What are you wearing while sitting in your room wanting me?_

_P.P.P.S: I’m still a kinky bastard._

 

Hermione laughed at his note, and raised her wand casting a quick _incendio_ , watching it turn to ash in her fireplace.

 

She pulled out another piece of parchment and wrote back to him:

 

 

_Dear Kinky Bastard,_

_I am wearing a white tank top and black yoga pants. You would love them._

_Ah yes, that dream of yours sounds awfully familiar. I seem to recall the exact thing that I did with my tongue that you loved so much._

_Love_

_~Hermione_

_P.S. Burning this goes without saying._

_P.P.S: what are you wearing?_

_P.P.P.S: You’ve become rather skilled at leaving love bites_.

 

 

She sent the note on its way, and grabbed a muggle romance novel off of her bookcase to read while she waited for Tom’s response. She didn’t have to wait long, though she was just getting to the good part when the owl arrived once again at her window.

 

She untied the letter from the owl’s leg and gave it a piece of cookie since it was getting a workout tonight.

 

 

_Dear insatiable lover,_

_The yoga pants and tank top sound lovely. However, I’m sure you would be just as enticing to me if you were wearing a snow suit. Mostly though, I prefer you naked. Or maybe with just a skirt._

_I would describe what I am wearing to you, however, I’m sure you remember, that I sleep nude. As far as the love bites, I am rather skilled at those. I like to mark what is mine._

_Love,_

_~Voldemort._

_P.S. That was a joke. Probably a bad one. Sorry._

_P.P.S: I will be enthusiastically thinking about you in the next few minutes._

_P.P.P.S: I hope you finished your Defense essay._

_P.P.P.P.S: definitely burn this one too._

Hermione laughed, and shook her head as she burned his letter. She finally gave the owl permission to head back to the owlry for the night, and decided she herself should head to bed. She was sure that she would be dreaming about all of the things she wanted to do with him, but couldn’t, over the next few weeks.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 

 

Classes seemed to pass by quickly the next day, and Hermione was absorbing every bit of information that she could, since this was the last official week of classes. The next two weeks would be mostly free study periods so that she could revise for her NEWTS, and then the NEWTS themselves would take place the week after. She headed down to the great hall to grab a quick lunch, and then outside to the grounds so that she could get some fresh air before her next class. She was standing by the lake when she head a familiar voice behind her that made her whole body tingle with warmth

 

“Care to take a walk, Miss Granger?”

 

She turned and Tom was leaning against a tree, smirking at her as he took in her flushed cheeks.

 

“I’d love to, Professor.” She practically purred, and fell into step beside him as he led her along the path around the black lake.

 

She saw him flick his wrist, and heard him cast a wandless _Muffliato_ spell around them.

 

“You’ve been a very naughty girl, Miss Granger; sending such scandalous letters to your professor. Tsk tsk…” He teased as he smirked and glanced over at her to see her reaction.

 

Hermione bit her lip, and took in his form as he glided along side her. He was impeccably dressed, as usual, and his dark hair was slightly windswept. He had a bit of stubble on his jaw, which Hermione thought made him look even sexier if that was at all possible. She had a fleeting thought that she wanted to know what it would feel like against her thighs.

 

“You’re awfully quiet, what could you be thinking about that has you blushing like that?” he teased her.

 

“Why don’t you take a look, _Professor_ …” she said seductively.

 

He eyed her contemplatively, then deciding to take her up on her offer; he turned to face her and looked into her eyes whispering, “Legillimens”.

 

He was pulled into her mind watching one of her fantasies play out in front of him. She was sprawled across her bed in the Head Girl’s room, and he was wearing only a pair of faded muggle jeans and his face was buried between her thighs as she writhed on the bed, arching her back every so often as gasps of pleasure left her lips. He could feel himself growing hard watching her lose control as he lapped at her. She was begging him now to take her, and he watched himself shed his jeans and pull her on top of him so that she could ride him. He felt his own cock twitch as he watched her hips moving against him as she took him deep into her. After a few moments of watching the intimate scene, he had to pull back from her mind to control his arousal.

 

“That was very Slytherin of you. Are you sure you were sorted into the right house?” he said smirking at her.

 

“I can’t help it that I have a vivid imagination.” She said teasingly as they continued their walk.

 

“As do I, Hermione. Maybe I should train you in legillimancy…that might actually come in handy for a few things I have in mind…” he said contemplatively, that boyish grin once again lighting up his face.

 

 

~~{0}~~

 

“Hey, is that Hermione over there?” Ginny asked while holding her hand above her eyes to block the sun so she could get a better view across the lake.

 

Harry looked in the direction she had been pointing, and nodded, “I think it is.”

 

“Who is that she’s walking with? Wait…is that? It’s Professor Riddle! I knew it!” Ginny cackled as if she had just discovered the long lost city of Atlantis.

 

“Knew what? Why does it matter that she is walking with Professor Riddle?” Harry asked completely clueless.

 

“Harry, you are the most unobservant person I have ever met.” Ginny sighed, but leaned in to kiss his cheek all the same.

 

“Care to fill me in, then?” He asked her as he sat by the lake, waiting for Ginny to elaborate.

 

“Don’t you remember the other night in the common room? Hermione had a love bite on her hip. She all but admitted that she was seeing someone, but refused to say who.” Ginny explained.

 

“Ginny, even if Hermione is secretly dating someone, which I doubt, how can you possibly connect that with Professor Riddle? Hermione is the Head Girl, and one of the most responsible people I know. I highly doubt she is carrying on an illicit affair with one of her professors.” Harry said trying to shut down Ginny’s line of thinking.

 

“Harry, normally, I would agree with you. It’s unlike Hermione to do something so…scandalous. But, I have been noticing little things, and it all seems rather suspicious.” She explained.

 

“Like what?” Harry asked her

 

“Well, she has been periodically sneaking off to do something she won’t tell anyone about at odd times. Then, I have noticed lately, that they seem to look at each other an awful lot during meals. Like, more than just casually looking in each other’s general direction; I’m talking full on eye sex.” Ginny explained.

 

“Ginny, NEWTS are in just a few weeks. You know better than I do how much Hermione will be studying for those exams, which is what I am willing to bet is exactly what she is doing when we aren’t sure where she goes. More than likely, she wants utter peace and quiet, and she’s using the room of requirement as her own private studying spot.” Harry pointed out.

 

“And what about the eye sex?” Ginny questioned

 

“I think you’re probably reading way too much into that. For all you know, if she’s seeing someone that she doesn’t want anyone to know about, it could be Malfoy. They do have close quarters after all…” Harry speculated.

 

“Eww, no. Hermione has much better taste than that. Malfoy’s a troll.” Ginny said as she scrunched up her nose in disgust.

 

“Point taken.” Harry held up his hands in surrender.

 

“I’m telling you, Harry…just watch them during meals. Just don’t be _Captain Obvious_ about it.”

 

 ~~{0}~~

 

Hermione made her way down to the Defense classroom with Harry later that afternoon and took her seat. She stared at her desk for a moment as a small smile played at the corner of her mouth.

 

“Something funny?” Harry asked her, making it a point to attempt to observe her more closely, even if only to prove Ginny wrong.

 

Hermione shook her head and just muttered that it was nothing. She sat, and pulled her text book, some parchment and a quill out of her bag and waited for class to start. To her dismay, Lavender and Pansy were seated in the desks across from her and Harry near the front of the classroom. It hadn’t escaped her notice that both girls had their school ties loosened, and the first few buttons of the shirt open, exposing the top of their cleavage. She was sure that the moment that Tom walked in that they would be trying awfully hard to get his attention. Even though Hermione knew she had absolutely no reason to be jealous, she still kind of was.

 

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked noticing that she was slightly frowning. He followed her line of sight and could tell that she was looking, more like glaring, at Lavender and Pansy.

 

“Nothing…I’m fine” Hermione said in clipped tones.

 

“Hermione, you were just glaring at Lavender and Pansy.” He pointed out

 

“It’s just…pathetic really. I mean, look at them. Their breasts are practically falling onto their desks. As if T… _Professor Riddle_ would even be interested.” She spat.

 

Harry tried to stop the grin from forming when he remembered what Ginny had told him earlier. Not to mention, Hermione just almost referred to him as ‘Tom’. Maybe Ginny wasn’t far off the mark after all…Though it could be that Hermione just had a bit of a crush on the professor, like half the female population in the school seemed to. It didn’t mean there was actually anything going on.

 

Before he could think more on it, Professor Riddle walked into class and slammed the door behind him, all business.

 

“Essays to the front. Miss Granger, please collect them and bring them to me, if you would.

 

Hermione blushed slightly, and quickly stood to retrieve all of the parchment that was being passed forward and she made her way over to him and handed him the stack.

 

He took it from her and gave a small smile that no one else seemed to notice. And she quickly made her way back to her seat.

 

“Today, we will be reviewing the topics that you can expect will be covered on your NEWT exams, so you may wish to take detailed notes.” He said before turning his back on the class and making a list of topics he would be summarizing.

 

Hermione could see Pansy leaning towards Lavender, whispering, both of the girls eyes locked on their professor. Hermione huffed and began taking notes. When the professor began discussing how potions are often used in dark ways, and used the Amortentia potion as an example, she heard Lavender suppress a giggle. The professor stopped and looked at her sharply, clearly not amused. A satisfied smile crossed Hermione’s face when the professor took five points from Gryffindor. Normally, she’d be a bit peeved to lose house points, but in this case, he could take as many as he wanted.

 

As the professor moved across the room, and stood in front of Lavender and Pansy’s desks, Hermione noticed how both girls made it a point to lean over giving him a bird’s eye view of their wares. Without batting an eyelash, Hermione pulled out her wand under her desk, and muttered an incantation towards them. Pansy and Lavender suddenly squeaked in surprise when their shirts buttoned themselves up to the neck, and their school ties were secured firmly in place. Their reaction drew the professor’s notice, and he was able to put two and two together and figure out that it had been Hermione that had done it.

 

“Miss Granger, why have you decided to take it upon yourself to disrupt my class?” He questioned.

 

Hermione’s jaw dropped, and she snorted in disbelief. “I’m sorry?” was all she managed to say

 

She could see Pansy smirking at her triumphantly, thinking that the professor was annoyed that Hermione had effectively ended his private show.

 

“Using magic against another student is not permitted in class unless you are implicitly instructed to do so. Ten points from Gryffindor, and detention with me this evening.”

 

To say Hermione was pissed was an understatement. “As Head Girl, I am well within my authority to ensure that students uniforms are up to code, and I simply leant my assistance to Miss Parkinson and Miss Brown, _Sir_.” Hermione said stiffly.

 

“Make that two detentions.” He said sharply.

 

“Hermione...let it go.” Harry whispered, not wanting to lose anymore house points.

 

Hermione glared at him and sat back in her seat. He wanted to be a prick? Fine. She could play that game too. She dutifully took notes for the rest of the class, and as soon as class ended. She quickly packed up her bag and strode purposefully out of the room without so much as looking at him.

 

He smirked, watching her leave in a huff. _This was going to be fun…_

 

At dinner that night, there was a distinct lack of eye sex between the Head girl, and the Defense Professor.

 

 

~~{0}~~

 

 

Hermione finished her dinner quickly, and stormed from the great hall to the library. She was still fuming over his treatment of her in Defense Class, and until he saw fit to apologize to her, she wasn’t going to give him the time of day. She dropped her bag at the furthest table in the library, and headed into the far corner to browse the books there that she had been planning to read in preparation for her Arithmancy exam. She still had two hours before her detention, and she was not about to be there a moment earlier than she had to be. In her Seven years at Hogwarts, she had never once received detention. Now, in her final week of classes, she had two. Just thinking about it made her hands twitch. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice someone approach her from behind her.

 

“You must always be ready to defend yourself against a potential threat, Miss Granger.” He said silkily taking a book from the shelf next to her waist as she spun around to face him.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him, and crossed her arms over her chest, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I should be on the lookout for self-satisfied gits who are interested in reading about…” she grabbed the book from his hand that he had just plucked off the shelf, “The mating habits of Blast-Ended Skrewts.” She snapped, shoving the book back into his chest as she pushed past him back to her table.

 

He grimaced and set the book down, and followed her.

 

“Hermione…” he said trailing after her.

 

She noticed a few other students who happened to also be nearby looking in their direction, so she put on a fake smile and said sweetly, “Can I help you, _Professor_?” clearly ending his attempt at conversation.

 

“Don’t be late for detention.” He snapped and set a small piece of parchment on the table in front of her before striding out of the library.

 

She was still angry, and quite honestly, she didn’t care if he didn’t like the way she was acting towards him. If he hadn’t treated her like that in the first place, there wouldn’t be a problem. She let out an annoyed huff as she picked up the parchment and scanned the room to make sure no one was watching her.

 

_Hermione,_

_I’m sorry to have caused you distress in class today, but you must admit, you gave me the perfect opportunity to get you alone without rousing suspicion. I’ll make it up to you…_

_~Tom_

 

  
Hermione quickly shoved the parchment in her bag, so that she could burn it later when she was alone. Now that she understood why he had behaved as he had, she felt some of her anger draining away to be replaced with a nervous excitement. She hadn’t been completely alone with him since that afternoon in the classroom, and as much as she desperately wanted a repeat of that, she knew they had to be more careful. She decided to finish up her assignments while she was still in the library until it was time to head down for her detention.

 

About a half hour later, just as she finished up her Ancient Runes essay, Ginny plopped down beside her at the table.

 

“Harry told me about what happened in Defense class today. I can’t believe that git gave you not one, but two detentions!” She said, wanting to gauge her friend’s reaction.

 

“Yeah…I went seven years with a perfect record, and look at me know.” Hermione said sarcastically. She knew she had to keep up the act that she was upset about it, which wouldn’t have been an act at all, had she not just read Tom’s note.

 

“Well, I suppose it could be worse…” Ginny sighed

 

“Worse? Ginny, how could it be any worse? I have detention.” Hermione deadpanned.

 

“Seems to me, that you get to spend the next few hours staring at sex on legs. It could be worse, your detention could be with Snape.” Ginny wrinkled her nose.

 

“But Ginny, _Professor_ Snape could be a Sex God for all you know…I mean, he does have that voice...” Hermione teased.

 

Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment and seemed to be considering Hermione’s words.

 

“True. I may have to pay closer attention to him from now on…” Ginny snorted.

 

“Miss Weasley…need I remind you that it is neither attractive nor acceptable for a young woman to make such undignified noises in the library?” a deep baritone voice came smoothly from behind them.

 

Hermione’s eyes widened, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at Professor Snape’s perfect timing.

 

Ginny just stared at him in shock before she smirked and winked at him. Hermione’s eyes darted to her surly Potions professor to see how he would react, and saw a look of panic cross his face before he shifted his eyes nervously and strode away from them abruptly. Hermione clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Ginny must either have a death wish, or nerves of steel to blatantly wink at Professor Snape as she had just done.

 

“I may need to get myself a detention next time I’m in Potion’s…did you see the look on his face?” Ginny laughed.

 

“Speaking of detentions, I better get to mine” Hermione said purposefully grimacing as if to say she would rather be anywhere else than alone with her sexy Defense Professor.

 

“Have _fun_ ” Ginny smirked knowingly.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Smut!

**Chapter 12**

 

 

Hermione reached the Defense classroom door and knocked. She heard footsteps make their way to the door, and the door was yanked open as he stood in front of it. He had a blank expression on his face, and he wordlessly stepped aside to allow her to enter.

 

She bit her lip, feeling somewhat guilty for lashing out at him in the library, now knowing he had only given her detention so he could get her alone.

 

She closed the door behind her, and warded it as he watched her silently. She walked up to him and put her hand on his chest, and met his eyes.

 

“I read your note; I may have over-reacted...” she breathed huskily before standing on her toes to kiss him. She sucked on his bottom lip before she pulled away, noticing how his eyes slipped shut.

 

“You’re forgiven” He said smoothly, running his hands down her waist.

 

“What ever shall we do for two hours, _Professor_?” she said teasingly

 

He moved his hand lower and squeezed her behind making her inhale sharply as he pulled her against him.

 

“Tonight, you will begin learning Legillimency.” He smirked at her.

 

She felt a brief flicker of disappointment that he wasn’t going to make love to her again, but it was quickly replaced with the excitement that only the promise of knowledge could bring.

 

He stepped away from her and pulled a seat into the center of the room, and indicated that she should take a seat, which she quickly did.

 

“Legillimency is the art of entering the mind with the intention to interpret one’s thoughts and feelings. As I am sure you know, this practice, as with many forms of magic can be considered quite dark. Unlike the Imperius curse, one cannot use Legillimency to control the mind, but simply to read it…dissect it, and use it to one’s advantage if they so desire.”

 

Hermione shivered at his explanation, knowing quite well how this sort of skill could be abused.

 

“With the proper consent, it can be made to feel as gentle as a lover’s caress, but without it, the pain it can inflict is only rivaled by the _Cruciatus_ curse. It can however, be blocked if one is a skilled Occlumens.”

 

Hermione recalled how gentle Tom had been with her on the recent occasion she had allowed him access to her mind and shivered.

 

“In order to properly cast, you must maintain eye contact and have absolute intent to enter the mind. Should you encounter any resistance, the manner in which you choose to push past it will determine if your entry will cause pain. First, you must clear your mind, and reaffirm your intentions. Once you cast the spell, you must visualize the mind opening up to you. When and if resistance is felt, you must then use a visualization technique to subconsciously encourage the subject to allow you entry. If your technique is persuasive enough, and of a positive nature, the subject will feel no pain, and the experience will be a pleasant one. Should your technique be more aggressive and fear inducing, it will be a very painful experience since fear will only breed more resistance from the subject.”

 

Hermione nodded, completely fascinated by what he was telling her.

 

“Once you have entered the mind, you will find that most are a study in chaos. Memories are all jumbled together, so it makes it difficult to find what you are looking for. The key to doing this successfully, is to focus on the memory you wish to view, which may or may not be pulled into the forefront of the subjects mind. If it does, then your work is done. If it is not, then most likely the memory that is presented can lead to the one you wish to view. Focus on the feelings that the specific memory should invoke in the subject, and all memories, including the one you are looking for will be connected to that feeling. As they present themselves, you can view them, or push past them until you achieve your goal. To end the spell, you only need to break eye contact. Are you ready to give it a try?”

 

Hermione’s eyes widened. She had never done this before, and the thought that he was going to give her complete access to his mind was heady.

 

“What should I be looking for?” Hermione asked uncertainly.

 

He smirked at her nervousness, “Anything you wish to see, _Hermione_ ” he whispered by her ear.

 

What did she want to look for? Having this opportunity was like winning the lottery. She thought for a moment, and the memory she most wanted to see was from the night he had killed the Basilisk.

 

“When you are ready, clear your mind, and focus only on what you wish to see.” He told her as he sat in a chair before her.

 

She raised her wand, looking into his eyes, and she could see a deep trust within their depths. She took a deep breath, and just before she whispered the incantation, she exhaled and closed her eyes.

 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She admitted, feeling her confidence slip away.

 

“You won’t. Even if it’s not perfect on the first try, which, knowing you, it probably will be, I assure you, I can take it.” He encouraged her.

 

With her confidence restored, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips and then once again raised her wand and looked into his eyes, focusing on the night he killed the Basilisk.

 

“Legillimens” she whispered

 

She felt herself moving forward into his mind, and she encountered what she thought must be his body’s natural resistance to a foreign invasion. She projected the love she felt for him against it, and then she was able to slip through it as easily as breaking the surface of a deep pool. The memories played out much in the same way that they do in a pensieve, as if she is there, but invisible to everything taking place around her. She stood then, in the second floor corridor, watching as Tom made his way towards the entrance of the girl’s bathroom, looking around quickly before ducking inside. She followed him in, and watched as he warded the door from the inside and then stepped up the sink, inspecting each one carefully. Finally, he seemed to have found what he was looking for, as he ran his fingers over two tiny serpents that were carved into the faucet. He stepped back, and in another language she had never heard him speak, he hissed something that sounded like a command. The sinks sprang apart suddenly to reveal a tunnel. Once again, she followed him down into the bowels of the castle, to enter what she was sure was the Chamber of Secrets. She watched as he looked around in awe, noting the large statues of serpents that lined the marble walkway that led directly to a giant bust of Salazar Slytherin himself. Just as before, he hissed at the statue in that strange language which she knew must be Parseltongue, and watched as the mouth began to open. A moment later, a large serpent with yellow eyes slithered from out of Slytherin’s mouth, coiling obediently in front of its new master.

 

The Basilisk began to hiss at Tom, and she could see a muscle twitch in his jaw as he understood what the snake was asking. He hissed back at the snake, which only seemed to grow agitated. His hand was in front of him now, and his magic was crackling around him as he attempted to command the Basilisk in Parseltongue. The great snake shrieked and lunged at him suddenly.

 

From a distance, she heard another cry, one that was very familiar to her. She and Tom both looked away from the Basilisk for only a moment to see Fawkes swooping towards Tom, with the sword of Gryffindor clutched tightly in his talons. Before Tom could grasp the sword, the Basilisk’s tail whipped back, and knocked into Tom, sending him crashing into the wall. Hermione cried out, forgetting momentarily that it was a memory she was watching, and ran to him pleading with him to get up and fight it.

 

Tom climbed to his feet, dodging another attack by the basilisk, this time evading its jaws by mere inches, he dove to the ground beneath it until he felt his hand wrap around the sword. When the Basilisk made to lunge again, Tom drove the sword through the bottom of its jaw and up into its head before it swayed and fell to the ground beside him.

 

He was breathing heavily, and Hermione felt a profound sense of relief wash over her. She knew that these were the emotions he was feeling, and the force of it almost took her breath away when she realized the relief was not for himself, but relief that he knew she would now be safe. His school uniform was torn and his cheek was bleeding from where he was thrown against the wall, but he stood, clutching the sword, and made his way out of the chamber.

 

She pushed his memories forward now, and watched as she appeared to him in the room of requirement. Her heart swelled, and she felt the depth of his love, as he made love to her for the first time. She felt herself grow warm watching as their bodies were entwined and a light sheen of sweat covered their skin. She grasped onto his feeling of desire for her, and followed to where the next memory took her.

 

She came to another memory now, most likely only a day or two following his encounter with the Basilisk, judging by the cut that was still present on his cheek. He was in the Prefects bathroom, his eyes were closed and his head was leaning back against the edge of the bath. Hermione settled beside him on the edge. She felt a jolt of desire run through her as she heard him groan, and whisper her name as he stroked himself beneath the water. She wanted nothing more than to join him, but since it was only a memory, she could do nothing but watch. She could feel his desire wash over her, and she knew he was imaging what it would be like to take her against the side of the bath as he stroked himself to completion. Watching him pleasure himself while thinking of her had to be the sexiest thing she had ever seen.

 

She followed his memories once more, and now she specifically focused on the night that they had been sending letters back and forth. She found herself sitting in a wingback chair in what she knew must be his private quarters. He sat at the desk writing when her owl tapped at his window. She saw a frown crease on his brow, and she could feel his worry as he hadn’t yet been informed what had taken place during her talk with Headmaster Dumbledore.

 

She watched as he took the letter in his hands, and scanned it, a feeling of relief flooding her. Once again, she was surprised to realize that the relief was not for himself or his job security, it was for her. He did not want their association to lead to her reputation being tarnished. He cast a wandless incendio on the letter, and sat once more at his desk to write his reply. She saw the wicked smirk that crossed his face as he finished, and then stood to attach his letter to the waiting owl’s leg before sending it off. He stretched then, and made his way into the bathroom. Once she heard the shower turn on, her curiosity got the better of her, so she stepped inside, watched him undress and step under the warm spray of the shower. She watched for several minutes, as the warm water cascaded over his skin, his eyes closed in relaxation. He looked so peaceful and perfect in that moment, that she wanted to savor it. Eventually, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He stood then, for several moments staring at his reflection, and she could feel his self doubt washing over her. He was wondering why someone as young and beautiful as Hermione would want to chain herself down to a man so much older. There was also a small undercurrent of guilt, because no matter what seemed right, he wanted to keep her for himself, and had already made up his mind to do so. His mind continued to wander for a few more minutes, mostly about their future; things like would she want to get married, or have children. At the thought of children, the realization washed over him that he very much wanted to be a father. His own father never wanted anything to do with him, which hurt more than he ever cared to admit, but the thought of having children with Hermione, if she wanted them, was something he wanted more than anything.

 

He then made his way to the bedroom, dropping the towel on a nearby chair as he passed. Hermione took the opportunity to admire him as he walked casually to his bed. A few moments later, her owl had returned, and he flicked his hand to open the window so that it could enter. He removed the letter, and a naughty grin formed on his face at her words. He charmed a piece of parchment in quill to write his response, and once again sent the owl away. He burned her letter with another whispered _incendio_ , and then closed his eyes breathing in deeply as he leaned back against his headboard. His hand slipped down beneath the sheets and she could see that he was already hard as he began to stroke himself. Hermione’s breathing sped up as she watched him. Every groan of pleasure sent a jolt of desire straight to her core. After a few moments, she was too aroused to continue, so she broke eye contact, slipping easily from his mind.

 

She was breathing heavily, though it was from her heightened state of arousal more than anything else. She stepped up to him, and straddled his lap, feeling his erection against her as she pulled him into a deep kiss.

 

“We shouldn’t be doing this…” he breathed against her ear as he left a trail of open mouthed kisses along her neck.

 

“I don’t bloody well care…” she answered him, grinding into his lap to prove it.

 

He groaned at the contact, but gathered his senses and grasped her hips to still her movements.   
  
“Hermione it’s only for a few more weeks…” He said, chuckling at her attempts to change his mind

 

She stood up off of him and practically growled in frustration.

 

“Just so you know, I’m going to use the time-turner. One way or another, you’re _going_ to make love to me tonight.”

 

His eyebrows shot up and he laughed.

 

“How Slytherin of you…I suppose _I’ll_ be enjoying the memory of it later then.”

 

Hermione smirked and kissed him hungrily before she stepped away from him and walked out of the classroom.

 

 

 ~~{0}~~

 

She was still reeling from the force of her arousal when she entered the Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor. It was after curfew, so she did not have to worry about running into anyone else. She stepped inside and warded the door, just to be safe. She pulled the time turner from beneath her robes and changed the setting to months, and gave it 6 full turns, bringing her to November 1997 and then once again changed the setting to decades and gave it another five and almost one-half turns. The room spun once more, until she stood just inside of the door of the prefects bathroom on the eve of November 1st, 1942. The night before, Tom had slayed the Basilisk, and made love to her for the first time. She knew, from having just watched his memories that he would be here, thinking about her.

 

She heard movement in the water of the bath that was just on the other side of the wall she was still concealed behind. She silently loosened her tie and removed it, followed by her shirt, bra, skirt and panties, until she was completely nude. She stepped out from behind the wall, and took in the image of Tom in front of her. His were closed and his head was leaning back against the edge of the bath, exactly as he had been in his memory. She padded silently over to him, and sunk into the bath in front of him.

 

Without opening his eyes, he whispered huskily, “I was hoping you would come to me.”

 

Of course he had known she was there. Tom would never allow anyone to sneak up on him like that.

 

“How did you know it was me? I could have been a wayward Hufflepuff…” she laughed before settling herself in his lap, the warm water feeling glorious against her skin.

 

“Your perfume gives you away. I could smell you the moment you arrived.” He mumbled against her neck as he kissed her.

 

She moaned as he left open mouthed kisses along her neck, and smirked at how ready she was for him.

 

“How did you know I’d be here?” he asked huskily against her throat.

 

“I saw it in your memory; only you were alone. I decided that it would be much more enjoyable if you had company.” She breathed as she pressed herself against him.

 

“I’m going to make love to you again…” he whispered as he pressed her up against the side of the tub, wrapping her legs around his waist.

  
She could feel his hardness pressed against her, and she writhed against him, feeling the delicious friction against her clit. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he thrust into her, groaning as he filled her.

 

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back kissing her roughly as he moved almost torturously slow, pulling out of her almost all the way before slamming hard back into her. She began to grind her hips into him as he thrust into her feeling her orgasm beginning to build. He slammed into her relentlessly all while kissing her and teasing her with his tongue.

  
She looked into his eyes as he sent her over the edge and whispered, “I love you…” before she felt her release crash over her. She clung to him riding out the waves of pleasure as he sped up his movements before he found his own release.

 

He kissed her languidly then, cupping her cheek, and caressing her as if she was the most precious thing in the world

  
“I love you, always…” he whispered against her ear as he held her close to him. They stayed like that for a while until she eventually convinced him that she had to get back to her own time.

 

“We don’t have much longer to be together like this…” she told him, feeling her heart sink at the thought that she would have to leave him soon. It wouldn’t be as hard for her as it would be for him, because he was already there in the future, but it broke her heart knowing she would have to leave him alone for 50 years before they could be together again.

 

“Shh…let’s not talk about it now.” He said kissing her softly and wrapping a towel around her shoulders.

 

She nodded, trying hard not to let him see the tear that slipped down her cheek.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The final chapter! I hope you all have enjoyed this story, I enjoyed writing it! Please let me know what you thought of it!!

**Chapter 13**

 

 

The next two weeks passed by in a blur of revisions, as Hermione finally sat her NEWTS. She was certain she had done well on all of them, simultaneously feeling relieved that they were over, and saddened that her time at Hogwarts had come to an end. The day she had been dreading had finally arrived. Hermione would need to relinquish the time turner. She woke that morning with a hollow feeling in her chest; the thought of having to tell Tom goodbye left her feeling nauseous. The thought that she would be leaving him behind to face fifty years alone wracked her with guilt.

 

At dinner time that night, Hermione waited for Draco to leave for the Great Hall, and once she heard him leave through the portrait hole, she picked up the pensieve that Dumbledore had gifted to her, and crept into the Head Boy’s room. Pulling out her time turner, she changed the setting to ‘decades’ and gave it five and ¼ turns. The room shifted around her, until she found herself in Tom’s room once again. He was at dinner, as she assumed he would be, so she took the opportunity to look around his room again, setting the pensieve down on his desk. There wasn’t much change that she could see from the two previous times she had entered his room, it still was sparsely decorated, and the tatty old trunk still sat partially obscured by his bed. She ran her fingers over the rough surface, and she slowly opened the lid. Just as she had seen when she looked in it before, there were used Hogwarts text books, and the book on wandless spell casting that she had gifted to him at Christmas in his first year, and the old coin she had given him to contact her with, as well as his small silver box. She picked it up, and opened it; Tom’s diary, and the small silver harmonica sat inside. She picked up his diary, and opened it to a random page towards the back. There was an entry he had made just the day before which read:

 

_June 14, 1944_

_I should be writing in here to talk about leaving the place I have called home for the last seven years of my life, but that is not what has been plaguing my thoughts. She will be leaving me, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I am powerless. Powerless to stop the ache in my chest at the thought of no longer being able to feel her skin against mine. Fifty years is a long time, and although I would wait an eternity for her, my worst fear is that she will not want me then; that I will be too old. I remind myself that there is hope, but the fear still remains. How can I convey to her what she truly means to me? She is everything; she has been my teacher, my friend, my confidant, and my lover. I don’t know how to let her go..._

 

 

Hermione wiped the tears that had begun to fall as she read his entry. She felt her heart breaking all over again, closing it gently and placing it back in the silver box. She closed his trunk once more, and returned to where she had set the penseive down on the desk. She couldn’t give him the next fifty years, but she could give him her memories. She wanted him to feel how deeply she felt for him, and how much he meant to her. She placed the tip of her wand to her temple, and extracted copies of the memories she had of their time together, and placed them into a small vial, setting it next to the pensieve.

 

A few moments later, she heard the door open, and then close quietly behind her.

 

“You’ve come to say goodbye, haven’t you.” He said softly, his voice sounding emotionless; flat.

 

She turned to him then, and her lip trembled as she memorized his face. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she nodded wiping the tears that had fallen onto her cheek.

 

He crossed the room and pulled her to him, holding her as if he were drowning.

 

“Stay with me…I’ll do anything” he whispered, his voice held an edge of desperation.

 

Her heart was shattering with every word he spoke, “I don’t want to leave you...” She sobbed into his neck

  
She felt his hands move up to cup her cheek, and her eyes met his, searching their depths. He kissed her fiercely then, pouring everything he was feeling into the kiss. He pushed her back onto his bed, and took his time kissing every inch of her, as if he were committing her to memory; her scent, her taste, and the feel of her skin under his hands. He made love to her slowly that night, and as the sun was beginning to rise, she knew it was time to leave. He was still asleep, as she slipped from the bed dressing quickly, and left a letter she had written to him on his desk with her bottled memories and the pensieve. She leaned over to where he lay, and she kissed him softly on the lips and whispered, “We’ll be together again, my love.” in his ear.

 

She quickly left his room before she fell apart, as her tears began again. She pulled out the time turner, giving it five and ¼ turns forward for the very last time. The room spun around her, and she was in her own common room once more. She clutched her chest and let out an anguished sob. She felt so guilty; like she had abandoned him as everyone else in his life had ever done. She never wanted to be the one to hurt him that way, and it broke her heart into a thousand pieces. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, so she ran; through the portrait hole, pushing it open as tears were obscuring her vision. She ran until her lungs felt like they would burst, and found herself standing in front of the Defense classroom door. She went inside, and collapsed into her seat inside the darkened room, sobbing uncontrollably as she rested her forehead against her desk. She felt a hand gently stroke her back and she turned to see Tom standing behind her looking as if he hadn’t slept in days. She stood and threw herself into his arms and held onto him as if her life depended on it.

 

He captured her lips in a kiss, and she felt the desperation in it. He trailed open mouthed kisses over her jaw, and he breathed against her ear, “I’ll never let you go again...”

 

“I love you…” she whispered, kissing him hungrily

 

After a minute, he pulled back from her and wiped the tears from her cheeks, pulling out a small box from his pocket.

 

She inhaled sharply as her eyes fell to the small velvet box he held out to her as he sunk to his knees in front of her. With a trembling hand, she opened the box, and inside was a small gold ring with a black square stone set inside. It was the Gaunt family ring. Hermione’s eyes widened as she looked from him to the ring, and her heart began to beat frantically in her chest.

 

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but this ring has been passed down through my mother’s family for generations. I inherited it after my mother’s brother passed away. I didn’t even know I had an uncle, so you can imagine my surprise….now I’m rambling.” He laughed nervously and took a deep breath then looked back up at her as she stared down at him with wide eyes.

 

“What I’m trying to say, is that I love you, Hermione, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.”

 

She opened her mouth, and closed it again, in shock. Finally, she managed to speak, “After all this time?” she whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at the ring.

 

He pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger, and quietly said, “Always…”

 

Hermione shook her head as new tears began to form in her eyes and she finally managed to answer him, that yes, of course she would marry him.

 

He picked her up then, sweeping her off her feet with his arm under her knees holding her closely to his chest as he carried her through the door at the far end of the classroom that led to his private quarters. They never made it to breakfast that morning.

 

~~{0}~~

 

 

Graduation day came quickly, and Hermione had never quite found the time to tell her friends that not only were she and Tom involved, but that they were going to be getting married. It wasn’t that she was afraid of what they would say, since she was certain that Ginny would approve, it was just that she never quite knew how to bring it up. Telling your best friends that you were engaged to your Ex-Professor was not something you just blurted out over tea. After the official graduation party at the Potter’s had ended, the unofficial party began when Ginny convinced everyone to go out to a muggle pub in London; even Lavender, Padma and Pavarti had joined them.

 

“Hermione, do a shot with me!” Ginny said laughing as she pulled her towards the bar.

 

Hermione didn’t have the heart to say no to her best friend, so she walked up to the bar with her. The bartender leaned towards them and asked them what they wanted.

 

“We want to do a shot, what’s good?” Ginny asked, leaning towards the bartender flirtatiously.

 

Hermione glanced over to the table, and Harry was glaring daggers at the poor man.

 

“How about a Red-Headed Slut.” He said smirking.

 

“Sounds _perfect_.” Ginny winked.

 

Hermione laughed as the bartender made their shots. Hermione was happily surprised that it was actually good!

 

By the time they headed back to the table, Hermione spotted Tom and waved him over to the table to join them.

 

“Professor!” Harry called out standing up to shake his hand in greeting.

 

“I’m not your Professor anymore, Harry.” He said smiling and his eyes briefly flicked over to Hermione.

 

“Please, join us!” Ginny suggested a little too enthusiastically.

 

Tom nodded and took a seat between Hermione and Ron. He didn’t notice the scowl on Ron’s face, but Hermione did. She felt a tiny bit guilty, but, at least Lavender was there; maybe she would soften the blow. Hermione headed back to the bar to order another drink, and she got one for Tom too while she was there. When she returned, Lavender was batting her eyelashes at Tom from across the table, and Hermione slammed his drink down a little too forcefully in front of him. He looked up at her sharply and raised his eyebrows at her in surprise. He smirked when he noticed she was more than a tad jealous. He recalled how she had used magic on Lavender and Pansy in class to button up their blouses when they had been sitting in front of him showing off their cleavage. He liked that Hermione was so possessive of him.

 

“Oh! They’re having a lip sync competition! Hermione! Will you do it with me? Pretty please?” Ginny whined and stuck out her lip in a pout.

 

“Ginny, Hermione’s too chicken to get up on stage, you may as well forget it.” Ron proclaimed and took a sip of his beer.

 

Hermione’s jaw dropped and she swung around to face him, “Ronald Bilius Weasley, I am not a chicken!” she said defensively.

 

“Wanna bet?” Ron asked and he smirked at Lavender and winked.

 

“I’ll take that bet.” Tom spoke up and slapped five Galleons on the table.

 

Hermione looked at him in shock. _Crap_. Now she really had to do this.

 

“Fine, Five Galleons that Hermione chickens out. Getty ready to lose your money, Professor.” Ron snorted.

 

With that, Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron, and she grabbed Ginny and pulled her towards the table that held the book of song choices. They made their selection, and signed up.

 

A short while later, everyone turned their chairs around to face the small stage where the lip sync competition would take place. A few random muggles went first, and they all chuckled when one of them was so drunk that she tripped and fell off the stage. The stage itself was small, and only a single step up from the floor. There were also colored spotlights in the corners for added effect, as well as a couple microphones that were really just there as props.

 

Ginny and Hermione were called up next, and Hermione took her place at center stage, with Ginny posing as her ‘backup singer’.

 

Harry clapped loudly, and wolf whistled at them, as Tom watched sipping his drink. _This should be interesting._

 

The music started, and Hermione began swishing her hips from side to side to the beat and then grabbed one of the microphones and pretended to sing, keeping her eyes trained on Tom;

 

_I love myself, I want you to love me_  
When I feel down, I want you above me  
I search myself, I want you to find me  
I forget myself, I want you to remind me

_I don't want anybody else_  
When I think about you, I touch myself  
Ooh, I don't want anybody else  
Oh no, oh no, oh no

 

 

Hermione now stepped off the stage taking the microphone as she sauntered up to Tom seductively, and Ron’s jaw hit the floor. Hermione gave Tom a lap dance as she continued to pretend sing:

 

_You're the one who makes me come runnin'_  
You're the sun who makes me shine  
When you're around, I'm always laughin'  
I want to make you mine

_I close my eyes and see you before me_  
Think I would die if you were to ignore me  
A fool could see just how much I adore you  
I'd get down on my knees, I'd do anything for you

At this, Hermione dropped to her knees in front of him, and ran her hands up his thighs while he stared at her with lust filled eyes.

 

_I love myself, I want you to love me_  
When I feel down, I want you above me  
I search myself, I want you to find me  
I forget myself, I want you to remind me

_I don't want anybody else_  
When I think about you, I touch myself  
Ooh, I don't want anybody else  
Oh no, oh no, oh no…

_I want you_  
I don't want anybody else  
When I think about you, I touch myself

_Ooh ooh ooh ooh ah ah ah ah oh ah_

_I don't want anybody else_  
When I think about you, I touch myself  
Ooh, I don't want anybody else  
When I think about you, I touch myself

 

Hermione finished the song, and sat herself in his lap and plated a big kiss on him in front of everyone at the table.

The room was silent for a moment the point where you could have heard a pin drop; when Hermione pulled back from him, the room erupted in applause. _Even the muggles clapped_!

Lavender was shooting daggers at Hermione, and Ron just stared at the two of them in disbelief.

“Pay up, Weasley.” Tom said to Ron with a smirk

“ _Bloody Hell_.” Ron said shaking his head and digging the coins from his pocket.

“So Hermione…you and Professor Riddle then?” Harry asked awkwardly gesturing to the both of them.

Hermione smiled and draped her arm around Tom’s neck while still sitting in his lap, “Yes actually. He’s asked me to marry him.”

“I knew it!” Ginny cackled and Harry pulled her into his lap, and then shook Tom’s hand in congratulations, “Wow, you work fast. I’d ask how you two met, but…” he trailed off laughing.

Tom laughed, and shook his head, “It’s not what you think. I wasn’t taking advantage of Hermione while she was my student…well… _not much anyway_.” He smirked.

Harry furrowed his brow. Classes had only ended a week ago…

“I met Hermione when I was eleven.” Tom said watching the looks of confusion spread across their faces.

“How?” Harry asked what they were all wondering. Clearly, the professor was much older than Hermione, she shouldn’t even have been born yet when he was eleven!

“Time-turner.” Hermione spoke up and smiled mischievously.

“Apparently I was supposed to become an evil overlord or something, and Hermione took it upon herself to save the world.” Tom said dismissively.

Hermione snorted, “He’s just being modest, He killed a Basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor in his sixth year. He’s the heir of Slytherin.”

Tom blushed, “Well, it sounds impressive when you say it like that…” he laughed.

Ginny elbowed Harry in the ribs, and pointed over at Tom, “Oi, this one’s over here killing Basilisks and Grindelwald…what have you got?” Ginny teased.

“Well, I may not be descended from Salazar Slytherin, but I am apparently a descendant of Ignotus Peverell.” Harry sniffed.

“Oh, you mean from the Tale of the Three Brothers!” Hermione said excitedly.

“Yeah…Dad just gave me the invisibility cloak as a graduation present. It’s wicked.” Harry smirked.

“What about the Elder wand?” Ron finally rejoined the conversation. Hermione noticed Lavender was seated much closer to him now. Good.

“Unfortunately, it was destroyed with fiendfyre when I dueled with Grindelwald.” Tom admitted.

“Bummer, that is.” Ron said absently.

Tom shrugged, “I rather like my wand, it’s served me well over the years.”

“So the Hallow’s really exist then? It’s not just a story? ” Ginny asked, still nursing her drink.

Hermione glanced down at her engagement ring. She wondered if Tom even knew that he too was descended from a Peverell, and that the stone in her ring was in fact, the resurrection stone.

“So it would seem.” Hermione said with a small smile.

 

**_~Fin~_ **


End file.
